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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

WHEREAS:

• Abuse in sport is a global plague that results in a serious violation of the human rights of the most vulnerable,
• Athletes are human beings who must be protected from any kind of abuse and violence,
• Sports Associations are aware of the extent and depth of the problem and strive to fight against this cruel and abhorrent phenomenon,
• Some of them have adopted rules and procedures but they lack the necessary and qualified expertise, human and material resources, and suffer from a scarcity of funds,
• International Organizations have set general standards for the protection of human rights and the protection against abuse in all public and private spheres,
• Governments and law enforcement bodies have a prime responsibility and duty to protect, promote, and implement all human rights,
• Collective efforts and coordinated actions are necessary to provide the Sports Associations with the best means to fight abuse,
• International Conventions against doping, violence, and match-fixing in sport have already been successfully adopted in the past,
• The lack of a coordinated response from the sports sector to abuses against sportspeople risks to seriously undermine the credibility of sport globally.

WE CALL ON:

• The “International Organizations”, namely the United Nations and its relevant bodies and agencies, such as the UNESCO, and all international and regional Organizations working on the promotion and protection of human rights,
• Governments and national law enforcement bodies and agencies,
• The International Olympic Committee in its leading role in the Sport Movement,
• All International and national Sports Associations and Sports Stakeholders.

TO:

• GATHER in a GLOBAL FORUM with the Athletes and their representatives, the Associations of Victims of Abuse and Abuse Survivors, highly qualified professionals, academics and experts in the field of ethics, law, and social and psychological matters,
• JOIN their forces,
• COORDINATE their actions,
• SHARE their best practices,
• COMMIT to fighting against abuse in sport,
• IDENTIFY AND ADOPT the most appropriate legal framework, such as an international Convention, and all tangible measures to fight abuse in sport.

The credibility of the sport system, its educational and social values and principles, the rights of the athletes, their human rights, and the common good of sport are at stake.

Everyone is concerned, and any delay of action will trigger a moral fault.

Brussels, 31 January 2024

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION HERE

PUBLICATIONS

M. Colucci, FIGHTING ABUSE IN SPORT: A CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION, RDES, 2023

C. Pérez, The effective application of international human rights law standards to the sporting domain: Should UN monitoring bodies take central stage?, 2022

C. Pérez, Transformative Equality, Due Diligence and Female Players’Rights: CEDAW as an Avenue for Women’s Rights Accountability in the World of Football, 2020

C. Pérez, International Sports Law and the Fight Against Doping: An Analysis from an International Human Rights Law Perspective, 2014

S. Bastianon, THE ECtHR’S RULING IN THE SEMENYA V. SWITZERLAND CASE WHAT IS NEXT FOR INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ARBITRATION AND ATHLETES’ HUMAN RIGHTS, RDES, 2023

S. Bastianon, SEMENYA, WORLD AQUATICS “OPEN” CATEGORY AND AMENDMENTS TO THE OLYMPIC CHARTER. IS SPORT MOVING TOWARDS MORE EFFECTIVE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY?, RDES, 2024 (forthcoming)