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Minister of State Pieper: Women’s World Cup sends a message about granting women more freedom
Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, believes that the FIFA Women’s World Cup starting in Germany tomorrow provides an opportunity to highlight women’s rights around the world.
“Women’s rights are human rights. The Women’s World Cup therefore also sends a message about granting women more freedom and equal opportunities”,
“The Federal Foreign Office is focusing its efforts to promote women’s football in Africa and the Middle East, where women are frequently still affected by violence and discrimination.”
In order to boost women’s football in the region, for example, the Federal Foreign Office promoted the Arabia Cup in 2010, in which eight women’s national football teams from Arab countries competed.
Minister of State Pieper urged the governments of the participating states to allow the media to report freely on the World Cup:
“Freedom of the press and of opinion are part and parcel of the spirit of the Women’s World Cup. It’s therefore crucial that no restrictions are placed on the media.”
In this connection, Cornelia Pieper renewed her appeal to the authorities of Equatorial Guinea to return the confiscated film material of a ZDF team which had been in the country to find out more about women’s football there.
