Anti-domestic violence video shows the price some women pay when England loses The World Cup
In a haunting and powerful short video released on Tuesday by Tender Education and Arts, a British organisation dedicated to promoting healthy relationships, shows a woman sitting alone watching England play The World Cup, her face drops and turns to horror when she realises England has lost. These words follow: “no one wanted England to win more than women. Domestic violence rises by 38% when England gets knocked out of the World Cup.”
The video has gone viral and the hashtag #StandUpWorldCup has started to trend on twitter:
This hashtag follows on the heels of other viral tags such as #YesAllWomen and #SurvivorPrivilege that have responded to, and spoken powerfully about epidemic levels of rape and violence women face around the world, daily.
Tender cites a study done by three researchers at Lancaster University over the course of three tournaments in 2002, 2006 and 2010. According to the study, domestic abuse increased by 26 percent in the country when England won or tied their game. When the team lost, the number rose by 38 percent. As one police officer who was cited in the report said, “The World Cup appears a reason for many to party, however delight and expectation can turn into despair and conflict with the kick of a ball.”
This disturbing and violent trend in relation to sports teams loosing or winning, is of course not isolated. In New Zealand when The All Blacks win a game the police reported to the NZ Herald in 2012, that they witnessed an increase in domestic violence. When I talked to Stacey Kingston*, who used to work for Auckland’s central police communications, in relation to the #StandUpWorldCup campaign, she said “we would always have to get extra staff in if there was a big rugby game on that night for just this reason.”
While there are few other studies on the topic of the rise of domestic violence post sports games, the trend cannot be ignored. There is never an excuse for violence. Tenders campaign and PSA shows another dark side to the rugby The World Cup, and we need to take notice.
Join the conversation on twitter #StandUpWorldCup
*Some names have been changed to protect privacy in this blog
It doesn’t surprise me at all. I had a bf who used to get aggro if his local rugby team lost. That plus his taste for liquor were all the warning signs I needed and bailed. I heard years later he ended up in prison for beating up his wife.
Without a doubt this IS an issue!!
I’m sure assaults in general spike, not just domestic related.
Surely it is when the All Blacks LOSE, not win, that the NZ Police notice an increase in domestic violence levels?
Isn’t it the “Steinlager” all blacks ?????
Rugby + Alcohol
same with soccer no doubt
Violence increases when more booze is drunk.
As long as sport and booze are intertwined then violence will always be the third and never missing member of the team …………..
How will Dong Hua Liu’s wife go when National lose the September election?
Yep….the stupidity is a global stupidity – from idiot ‘hooligans’ who use it as an excuse to brawl to idiot blokes who cant hold their liquor and even less their tempers..all over a game.
Mindless ..
Immature…
and a very , very myopic diminutive self centered world view.
Samantha ……………. I think you’ll find rugby supporters “celebrate” more when their team wins which means more booze drinking.
Happy drunks can turn into violent drunks like a switch being flicked.
Its the nature of the drug booze …………..
By the way the “drug crazed nutter” that ordinary kiwi’s encounter will 99 times out of 100 be an angry drunk …….
I’d like to see funding for rape crisis/ womens’ refuge/ homeless shelter/ victim support organisation level pegging with the amount govt.pays out to all sporting bodies on a dollar for dollar basis.
I’d like to see all games, game shows, sports shows and talkbacks monitored for off colour talk/ incitement to violence/ rape jokes/ sexist putdowns and taken off air when the meter hits a certain level.
I’d like to see the Minister for sport, the shadow minister and all spokespeople for sport from every political party, with their pinnies and rubber gloves on doing voluntary hours at the local homeless shelter/ children’s hospital/ S.P.C.A./ oils spill site/ whale beaching.
These figure are appalling, Chloe. It has become a worldwide thing (well, what hasn’t?) and people getting arrested in Brazil for protesting about hunger alongside the millions spent by FIFA for their world cup- truly revolting.