Our Game for Human Rights
Human Rights, global justice and Qatar 2022
The FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022. Yet, this event is foreshadowed even before its start – particularly from a human rights perspective. Among other aspects, serious violations of labour laws but also of women’s and children’s rights have been reported.
fairplay has been addressing the issue of human rights and sustainable development in sport for years – at national, European and international level. Under the slogan Our game for human rights, we work together with an alliance of civil society actors to promote sport that protects and respects human rights. The public and broad-based potential of sport is used to contribute actively and in partnership to the realization of human rights and global justice.
Activities
Campaigns and public relations work
The project will be presented shortly before the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP, April 6) in the form of a press conference on March 30, which will be attended by key stakeholders and sponsors. Sports clubs throughout Austria will take part in the campaign around the IDSDP under the slogan “Our game for human rights”. Campaign materials and policies will be used to call for respect for human rights.
In terms of public relations, training courses will be offered for sports journalists (including ORF). There will be targeted media cooperation with Der Standard, radio FM4 and the ballesterer magazine, among others.
Based on a template for the implementation of human rights policies developed by the working group on sport and human rights, Austrian sports federations are publicly committed to human rights and, for their part, advocate that human rights are taken seriously when international federations make award decisions. In addition, factsheets are being developed to support associations in the implementation of complaints mechanisms or child protection strategies, for example. Sports associations should use these activities to take a positive public stance and show that Austrian sports players and Austrian sport are taking responsibility.
Periodically published background information on the topic shows the responsibilities and opportunities for various players to become active, and a focus booklet (dossier) is being developed together with Austrian human rights organizations, which will also be included in other media, such as the ballesterer.
Dialogue and educational work
There will be a panel discussion in the Club 2×11 series of events in Vienna’s main library, and a Speaker’s Tour through the federal states will also provide information about the situation of the affected workers on the ground. Under the title Cup of Human Rights, a soccer tournament will be organized with the diaspora from those nations that are also represented in Qatar in the course of labour migration. The largest migrant communities in the emirate come from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Egypt. Testimonials from the world of sport are also taking part.
The fairplay action weeks in October 2022, in which all clubs in the first and second men’s Bundesliga and the women’s Bundesliga will take part, will be entitled “Our game for human rights”.
As part of the this human world film festival, there will be a focus on sport and human rights in fall 2022. Together with civil society partners, workshops for young people and young adults (including apprentices) will be offered that focus on sport, labor, children’s, women’s and LGBTQI+ rights and global justice.
Political work and networking
Together with the Permanent Representation to the EU (OV) in Brussels and members of the European Parliament, the activities in Austrian sport – based on the working group on sport and human rights – will be presented as good practices, while at the same time looking at how EU players can have a positive influence on future award decisions. At the level of the Austrian parliament, an inquiry is planned for the second half of the year, where the first achievements of Austrian sport will be presented and a further roadmap will be presented. Together with international partners (Centre for Sport and Human Rights, Terre des Hommes International & Germany, Amnesty International, Sport and Rights Alliance), there will be networking on current topics as well as input from project partners at EU and UN level.
Cooperation partners
Südwind
Frauen*solidarität
Austrian League for Human Rights
Association of Footballers (VdF)
this human world
Weltumspannend arbeiten (ÖGB)
radio FM4
Funding bodies
Austrian Development Agency (ADA)
Contact
Hanna Stepanik (she/her)
Tel: +43 1 713 35 94 DW 66
Email: stepanik(at)vidc.org