https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/24/worl...riminals-fifa-says-17819028/?ito=newsnow-feed
Fifa has asked police in Qatar to not treat women as criminals if they report rape or sexual assault during the World Cup, according to a new report.
Pregnant women should also ‘not face any accusations’ and should be given medical care if required, guidance issued by the football body’s security and safety team is said to state.
Meanwhile, officers have been instructed to not approach, detain or prosecute people ‘displaying the rainbow or other sexual identity flags’ and those ‘displaying signs of affection’.
But the Qatari group responsible for the planning and operation of the tournament has said the document was ‘not developed or approved’ by them or any governmental body in the host nation.
The memo appears to be an attempt to override Qatar’s laws which severely limit women’s freedoms – and can even punish those who are sexually assaulted.
Extramarital sex in Qatar is a crime and victims of rape or sexual assault may be charged with having sex outside of marriage, although this is at the Public Prosecutor’s discretion.
Paola Schietekat, 28, who worked for the World Cup organising committee, was accused of having an affair when she reported being sexually assaulted last year, the Daily Mail reports.
She was charged with ‘extramartial [sic] sex’, despite telling officials a colleague had broken into her flat and attacked her.
The man was acquitted, but Ms Schietekat fled the country when she faced up to seven years and 100 lashes. The case against the Mexican native was dropped in April.
It it is illegal to be pregnant and unmarried in Qatar and women are advised to not go to doctors if they are single and possibly expecting.
Women must also obtain permission from their male guardians to marry, study abroad on government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad until certain ages, and receive some forms of reproductive health care.
The memo from Fifa’s Security and Safety Operations Committee (SSOC) sets out how police should respond to various scenarios during the World Cup.
It tells officers: ‘Women will not face any accusations if they report rape or sexual/harassment violence.’…
Fifa has asked police in Qatar to not treat women as criminals if they report rape or sexual assault during the World Cup, according to a new report.
Pregnant women should also ‘not face any accusations’ and should be given medical care if required, guidance issued by the football body’s security and safety team is said to state.
Meanwhile, officers have been instructed to not approach, detain or prosecute people ‘displaying the rainbow or other sexual identity flags’ and those ‘displaying signs of affection’.
But the Qatari group responsible for the planning and operation of the tournament has said the document was ‘not developed or approved’ by them or any governmental body in the host nation.
The memo appears to be an attempt to override Qatar’s laws which severely limit women’s freedoms – and can even punish those who are sexually assaulted.
Extramarital sex in Qatar is a crime and victims of rape or sexual assault may be charged with having sex outside of marriage, although this is at the Public Prosecutor’s discretion.
Paola Schietekat, 28, who worked for the World Cup organising committee, was accused of having an affair when she reported being sexually assaulted last year, the Daily Mail reports.
She was charged with ‘extramartial [sic] sex’, despite telling officials a colleague had broken into her flat and attacked her.
The man was acquitted, but Ms Schietekat fled the country when she faced up to seven years and 100 lashes. The case against the Mexican native was dropped in April.
It it is illegal to be pregnant and unmarried in Qatar and women are advised to not go to doctors if they are single and possibly expecting.
Women must also obtain permission from their male guardians to marry, study abroad on government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad until certain ages, and receive some forms of reproductive health care.
The memo from Fifa’s Security and Safety Operations Committee (SSOC) sets out how police should respond to various scenarios during the World Cup.
It tells officers: ‘Women will not face any accusations if they report rape or sexual/harassment violence.’…
