Women’s World Cup brings attention to abuse in soccer

By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

The Women’s World Cup will be played with new programs in place to help protect players and other participants. The attention on player safety comes after a series of sexual abuse scandals rocked the game in recent years, and brought greater awareness. A pair of investigations in the United States found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic throughout the National Women’s Soccer League. Soccer federations in other countries are also dealing with abuse scandals, including Haiti, Venezuela and more recently, Zambia. FIFA has initiatives in place in Australia and New Zealand that aim to make sure everyone is safe.