Injustice against Women and Girls on the UN Table

Violence against women and girls in sports must be immediately addressed at all levels, said UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem while alerting about the practice of injustice in that field.

During the presentation of a report on the issue, Alsalem described the risks facing female athletes as a systematic and serious human right problem.

Their capacity to practice sports under conditions of safety, dignity and equality has been damaged by the intrusion of men, who identify themselves as women in categories and spaces exclusive for women, Alsalem noted.

Economic, physical and psychological actions are the most usual forms of violence, including coercive control, on-line violence and negligence in the case of minors, particularly in sports like gymnastics.

The Special Rapporteur for the violence against women and girls fingered at state and non-state actors as the commonest perpetrators and accomplices of violence, including trainers, professional colleagues, directives, relatives, and spectators, PL news agency reported.

According to the UN official, the states can also be considered accomplices of the issue asl long as they do not prevent, process or punish violence actions against women and girls in sports.

Impunity fosters the culture of silence and injustice, the expert stressed.