FIFA, WHO launch #SafeHome campaign to help domestic violence victims amid lockdown

FIFA, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Commission have joined forces to launch the #SafeHome campaign to support women and children at risk of domestic violence.

The campaign is a joint response from the three institutions to the recent spikes in reports of domestic violence as stay-at-home measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have put women and children experiencing abuse at greater risk.

Almost one in three women worldwide experience physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by someone else in their lifetime. In a majority of cases, that violence is committed by a partner in their home - indeed, up to 38 per cent of all murders of women are committed by an intimate partner. It is also estimated that one billion children aged between two and seventeen years (or half the world's children) have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past year.

The three organisations have launched a five-part video campaign designed to raise awareness, with several past and present footballing stars taking part.

The five-part video awareness campaign features 15 past and present footballers - Alvaro Arbeloa, Rosana Augusto, Vitor Baia, Khalilou Fadiga, Matthias Ginter, David James, Annike Krahn, Marco Materazzi, Milagros Menendez, Noemi Pascotto, Graham Potter, Mikael Silvestre, Kelly Smith, Oliver Torres and Clementine Toure - who have stressed their support in addressing this critical issue.

The campaign is being published on various FIFA digital channels, with #SafeHome also being supported with multimedia toolkits for the 211 FIFA member associations and for various media agencies to help facilitate additional localisation and to further amplify the message worldwide.

"Together with the World Health Organization and the European Commission, we are asking the football community to raise awareness to this intolerable situation that threatens particularly women and children in their own home, a place where they should feel happy, safe and secure," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

"Just as physical, sexual or psychological violence has no place in football, it has no place in the home. We are so pleased that our partners today are joining us to draw attention to this critical issue. As people are isolated at home because of COVID-19, the risks of domestic violence have tragically been exacerbated," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.