Football: Spanish Commission against Sexual Violence

As of: October 23, 2023 9:55 p.m

The Spanish professional footballers and the national association RFEF as well as the highest sports authority CSC have founded a joint commission that is intended to ensure far-reaching reforms after the attack by the former head of the association Luis Rubiales.

The association announced this on Monday (October 23, 2023). This includes, among other things, an end to sexual violence such as the kiss that the now resigned RFEF President Luis Rubiales forced on world champion Jennifer Hermoso at the world champions’ award ceremony in Sydney in August.

“A very important day”

The national players then threatened to go on strike. This was averted when both sides agreed on reform steps and the formation of the commission at the end of September. RFEF President Pedro Rocha highlighted the importance of the agreement. “It is a very important day for all of us. We have listened to this team and are trying to solve all the problems,” he was quoted as saying in an RFEF statement.

The aim is to provide mechanisms for prevention and response to situations in which discrimination or sexual harassment and harassment based on gender occur. But it’s not just about preventing behavior like the forced kiss on Hermoso’s mouth in the future, but also about measures to further professionalize women’s football, wrote the newspaper “El País”. It is also about a fair remuneration system in all sports categories.

Protection of young mothers and the right to breastfeeding

The parties also undertake to take concrete measures to protect young mothers and the right to breastfeeding and to propose mediation mechanisms.

The national players started training on Monday before the next two games in the Nations League. On Friday there will be a game against Italy under the direction of new national coach Montse Tomé and on the Tuesday of the following week against Switzerland. Hermoso was also there for the first time.