MeToo Spreading East

Sexual harassment cases have not only been rocking the United States. Other countries in the world also suffer from similar crimes. In India, a survey by Action Aid, found that 44% of women had been groped in public. This number seems minuscule when compared to the nearly 70% of females the World Health Organization found in Ethiopia who experienced violence from their partners. Yet one area that has yet to speak out strongly on “MeToo” experiences is the Middle East. This stigma changed this past week when Afghanistan suspended five soccer officials in a sex-related scandal.

The accusations were focused on the President of the Afghanistan Football Federation, Keramuudin Karim; he supervises the male and female teams. A former player on the women’s team, Khalida Popal, explained that he trapped females in his office through the use of a fingerprint scan that only opens the door through the inside.

Karim was not the only one accused of sexual harassment. The four other suspended officials include the federation’s general secretary, deputy president, a goalie coach, and an official in charge of meetings with other teams. FIFA is currently looking into all of the allegations and has explained in a statement that they will take all violence and human-rights violations seriously.

With woman becoming less afraid to speak their mind, perhaps one day the world will be free of sexual harassment. For now, the guilty are being rightfully punished for their wrongdoings.