Throngs have flocked to the metro Boston area for the FIFA World Cup, which will see seven matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough between Saturday, June 13 and July 7. Locals have already spotted soccer fans donning kilts as they roam the streets ahead of Saturday’s game between Scotland and Haiti.
In Cambridge the city has organized several watch parties and has made alcohol-to-go legal, as well as creating public consumption districts (these will also be in place for other summer festivals) . Where there are crowds, there is also the potential for problems, and local nonprofits and officials have been offering their support for residents and guests across the globe to enjoy a safe and healthy summer of football fun.
World Cup and domestic violence
Boston and Cambridge worked together to fund a grant of $100,000 for the Massachusetts branch of Jane Doe Inc., a coalition of local and statewide nonprofit service providers aimed at supporting and advocating for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. The group has worked in the run-up to the World Cup in creating a map of services that will be offered during the World Cup during the tournament, including shelters, counseling, and legal representation.
Some research has linked televised sports to domestic violence. A 2013 study in the United Kingdom showed a 26 percent increase in domestic abuse reports to police when the English national team won a World Cup match and a 38 percent increase when they lost.
The funding for Jane Doe Inc. will matter beyond the World Cup, said Greta Hagen, the organization’s deputy director, who called it a “catalyst” for the network. “We will be better prepared, but in the future, because of this strengthening our network.”
Jane Doe Inc. has also been working with Cambridge’s Domestic and Gender Based Violence Prevention Initiative 9 (DGBVPI) and Boston’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative to help train staff at local bars and restaurants hosting World Cup watch parties to look out for warning signs of gender-based violence.
But it isn’t the stranger danger brought on by an influx of tourists that is the biggest risk, said Shameka Gregory, executive director of DGBVPI. People are more likely to experience violence from people they know. “This is happening to our neighbors, our friends … in real time,” she said. “We should still be paying attention to these things, even when FIFA goes away.”
Gregory also highlighted the importance of placing responsibility for violence on the perpetrators, not the victims.
“The message should be: don’t harm people, don’t abuse people, don’t rape people,” Gregory said.
If someone does experience gender-based or sexual violence, Jane Doe Inc. is partnering with two hotlines staffed with professionals that can direct them to services. (The hotlines are at the bottom of this article.) These hotlines will be advertised inside MBTA commuter rail trains into Foxboro. FIFA, however, would not allow them to be advertised in Gillette Stadium. It did not respond to requests for comment about whether public service announcements s inside Gillette were allowed.
35 children recovered
Human trafficking is another issue that can happen with major tourist events. On Friday, the U.S. Marshall’s service announced 35 “vulnerable high risk missing children” had been recovered from Massachusetts as a part of its “Operation Yellow Card,” an inter-agency investigation into human trafficking in the Bay State that was started in April and will continue through the duration of the World Cup.
“Large-scale international gatherings historically bring a heightened risk of predatory exploitation targeting our communities’ most vulnerable youth,” said Dennis Matulewicz, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, in a statement.
Jane Doe Inc. member organizations also offer services for victims of human trafficking. Massachusetts and federal agencies have also raised alarms about potential trafficking associated with the massive influx of tourism associated with World Cup events.
“Sex trafficking is real, it’s harmful, it’s definitely a scourge in our community, and there is a very strong correlation between major sporting events and sex trafficking,” said Kimberly Mendoza Iraheta, director of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative for the Boston Health Commission.
Public health preparations
The Cambridge Department of Public Health (DPH) has epidemiology staff and public health nurses at the ready to do contact tracing if cases of communicable disease are reported, and a process with following up with restaurants if food-borne illness is contracted.
“We’re really now just on high alert, so that we’ll be ready if there are higher incidences of the things that we typically do,” said Dawn Baxter, DPH’s communications director.
But headline-making outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola elsewhere in the world are not likely to be coming to Cambridge. The ailment residents and travelers alike should be the most concerned about is a much more familiar summertime visitor: the sun.
“Heat-related illness is more common if there are several consecutive days of high temperatures without cooldowns at night,” Baxter said. She added that heatstroke is more common among older people, children and people with chronic illnesses.
“We want people to really learn more about the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness, so that they can just be aware of it for themselves and for the people around them.”
The city has its own extreme heat webpage with more information.
The Cambridge Police Department also says they’re preparing for festivities.
“The city does expect that the World Cup games and watch parties will bring visitors from near and far to our community,” CPD Public Information Officer Sergeant Bob Reardon said via email. “We look forward to welcoming them and will have an appropriate, visible presence to provide any necessary public safety support.”
Reardon said while he hopes people “celebrate responsively,” “Should anyone need assistance during their visit or while in attendance at the watch parties we encourage them to approach a uniformed officer or call us.” CPD’s non-emergency line is below; anyone experiencing an emergency should call 911.
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Hotline (BARCC): (800) 841-8371
SafeLink Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline (Casa Myrna): (877) 785-2020
Cambridge Police Department Non-Emergency Line: (617) 349-3300
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