The recent women’s World Cup sub-28 in Costa Rica, resolved with victory of Spain two days ago, was the first FIFA competition to apply an abuse safeguard program, which will also be developed in future youth tournaments and in the Women’s World Cup 2023 from Australia and New Zealand.
FIFA explained on Tuesday that the program included the adoption of concrete measures, backed by experts, to guarantee the protection and well-being of the players and adults, both of the participants in the tournament and of those who attended it.
For this, processes were designed to minimize the risks of abuse, exploitation and harassment of minors and adults, with the guarantee provided by the presence of a FIFA safeguarding officer at each of the 32 matches, in addition to another person representing the National Children’s Board of Costa Rica.
A presentation on safeguarding was also made at all meetings of welcome of the selections, visits to the training facilities and hotels of the teams during the tournament, as well as the preparation and distribution of materials in the venues to raise awareness and guide on the scope of the complaint mechanism in case of incidents.
FIFA recalled that within its “Vision 2020-2023: for a truly global football” sets out its commitment to promoting safe sport, as part of a general plan aimed at protecting human rights.
One of the pillars of this commitment is “FIFA Guardians”, the main program of the department Safeguarding and Protection of Children, which provides assistance to its 211 member federations to avoid risks of child abuse in the world football and respond appropriately if necessary.
FIFA’s Director of Safeguarding and Protection of Children, Marie-Laure Lemineur, assured that for the organization “it is a priority that all people in the world of football feel welcome, respected and, above all, safe in their tournaments and in all categories of this sport, especially men who are the most vulnerable”.
“Over the last two years we have worked closely with a number of functional areas of FIFA, with experts in the field of safeguarding and with stakeholders, national authorities, Concacaf, the Costa Rican Federation and the Local Organizing Committee to be able to implement a solid and viable program in the tournament”, he said.
In your opinion, “thanks to the firm commitment of all the people involved, we have created a safe environment for the players, for the fans and for everyone, and we have provided everyone the opportunity to enjoy unforgettable football”.
According to data provided by FIFA, at the World Cup in Costa Rica, in which Spain won the title by defeating Japan (3-1 ) last day 28, nearly a thousand safeguard brochures and stickers were distributed.
Eight courses and seminars were also organized with the main p stakeholders of the tournament, such as the delegations of the selections, the players, the volunteers and the referee teams, in which information was provided on the prevention and response measures in terms of safeguarding.
Likewise, more than 50 posters in the most important points of the tournament, including stadiums and training facilities and were made 50 visits to the training facilities and hotels of the participating teams.
The measures also included the supervision of all tournament matches by a FIFA event safeguarding officer.
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