The Spanish Association of Women Judges (AMJE) has asked the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to implement a protocol to prevent, detect and take action against harassment and sexual assault, and to “immediately” dismiss President Luis Rubiales.
The association claims that this protocol expressly forbids behavior such as that of Rubiales, who kissed player Jenny Hermoso on the lips during a medal ceremony in Sydney, Australia after winning the Women’s World Cup.
“The act by Luis Rubiales is clearly sexist behavior against a woman’s body, done without her consent and in the context of unequal power relations that affect women’s ability to respond,” the association defended in a statement.
For lawyers, justifying such behavior means embellishing a clearly sexist situation that violates the principle of equality.
On the other hand, they warn that if the RFEF does not take action immediately, it will not only fail to protect the Spanish international, but will send a message to the whole society, “justifying and defending a behavior that, unfortunately, is repeated many times and ad infinitum: an attack on women’s bodies as if they were an object.”
AMJE also addressed Jenny Hermoso: “You couldn’t do anything to avoid the aggression you suffered and you don’t have to do anything because she and her teammates have already done everything, they have already made history.”