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Female workers who produce Fifa merchandise for events such as the Women’s World Cup have endured pay below minimum wage, verbal abuse, unpaid overtime and threats of job loss if they fall pregnant, according to a new report by human rights researcher Equidem. Equidem has criticised Fifa for not taking action on a situation that seems to go against the advances the tournament has been responsible for, and president Gianni Infantino has been urged to extend “that progress to addressing the harms its women workers experience”. Equidem has put its report into the context of the litany of migrant labour abuses that occurred due to the men’s World Cup in Qatar and asked why there has been no update from a human rights subcommittee that was supposed to be set up to assess the legacy of that event, raising questions about Fifa’s expressed commitment to improving working conditions. The report features interviews with women workers in factories in Bangladesh that make official merchandise for Fifa events, and involves distressing testimonies including verbal abuse and the illegal denial of worksite childcare and maternity leave. Equidem heard several stories of women denied freedom of association. “We have a daily target to reach,” one worker said. “The supervisor fixes our daily target. I make 60-80 pieces per hour. I can only go to the restroom after finishing my hourly target. When a lot of work piles up, they don’t let us go anywhere. They verbally abuse us. I work for 10-12 hours a day at my sewing machine. Today, my supervisor told me to give 80 pieces per hour, but it was quite difficult to make 80 pieces. I made 60 pieces per hour. He shouted at me several times. “I can’t keep my son with me. I work between eight and 12 hours every day. Who will look after him? I searched for someone to leave my son with when I went to work, but I did not get anyone. We don’t have a childcare room in our factory. My son lives in Dhaka with my mother-in law and father-in-law.” Workers described a common practice of being told they would lose their jobs if they became pregnant during the first two years of employment. One woman employed as a sewing machine operator explained: “When I started working here, the factory doctor told me not to have babies for the first two years. I was told that after completing two years, I can have children. If I get pregnant before that, I will have to resign. They will not give me any leave.” Some workers spoken to by Equidem reported that they did not get paid any maternity leave at all, even though they are supposed to be legally entitled to four months, making it a clear violation of Bangladeshi law. Equidem’s CEO Mustafa Qadri states: “After the Men’s World Cup this past year in Qatar, FIFA pledged to set up a human rights subcommittee that would assess the legacy of the 2022 tournament, although there has been no further update as to the status of that assessment, nor its learnings. Equidem urges FIFA to extend its expressed commitment to improving working conditions to women workers in their apparel supply chains. "Yet, the world has seen significant advances in pay parity for women players, including making the Women’s World Cup more professional, ensuring equal regulations and conditions, and fair distribution of prize money to players. The United States team, after years of negotiations, public battles, and court filing won an equal pay deal that makes them one of the best-paid national teams in the world. "The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 brings with it many positive improvements for its players, and it is crucial that FIFA extends that progress to addressing the harms its women workers experience. FIFA has the power, money, and resource to address this at the systemic level, and we will keep monitoring their global supply chains until it does. “This movement toward gender parity within FIFA, signals a heightened commitment within the organisation to fair conditions for women players—on par with their male counterparts. This should extend to all women, not just those under the stadium lights.” A Fifa spokesperson said: “FIFA has stringent labour rights requirements for companies producing FIFA-licensed goods and takes any allegation of labour rights abuse in its supply chain very seriously. FIFA is in contact with both Equidem and the respective companies to further investigate the matter.” Read More Fifa urged to make human rights key consideration for World Cup 2030 host ‘Matter of when not whether’ UK hosts Women’s World Cup – sports minister Kevin De Bruyne says new approach to added time ‘doesn’t make any sense’ How much added time? Football’s new guidelines and the impact they will have Raphael Varane says players’ opinions ignored over ‘damaging’ new guidelines

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Lil Tay’s former manager has called for “cautious consideration” after a statement was posted on the influencer’s social media stating that she had died. A message was posted on the 15-year-old’s verified Instagram page which shared the news that the influencer, real name Claire Hope, and her brother had died. However, Lil Tay’s father, Christopher Hope, told Insider that they couldn't confirm whether she is actually dead. Her former manager Harry Tsang also said he could neither "confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement". The New York Post also contacted the Vancouver Police Department and were told there were no reports of death for either Claire or her brother, saying “As of now, we are not aware and are not investigating.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The Instagram account had been controlled by Lil Tay’s brother Jason Tian in the past, with the account previously posting baseless allegations against her father and a custody dispute. It comes after fans were shocked to see a message posted on the account which stated that the star’s death had been "sudden and tragic" and "entirely unexpected”. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing," the statement read. "This outcome was entirely unexpected and has left us all in shock. Her brother's passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief." "During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother's passing are still under investigation." However, when approached for comment, Christopher Hope declined to answer when asked if his daughter was still alive. Her former manager Tsang also said: "Given the complexities of the current circumstances, I am at a point where I cannot definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family. “This situation calls for cautious consideration and respect for the sensitivities involved. My commitment remains focused on delivering updates that are both reliable and appropriately timed." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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American actress Sydney Sweeney has come under fire for a “male gaze” photo shoot that has left fans disappointed. The shoot was part of the magazine Variety's #PowerofYoungHollywood issue which featured the Euphoria actress as one of its cover stars. The controversy came when Variety shared a behind-the-scenes video on its Instagram showing a montage of clips from the shoot, sparking a big reaction from fans. One clip showed Sweeney wearing a short blue playsuit that bared her cleavage and extremely high pink heels. Her lipstick was baby pink and she could be seen licking a pink lollipop. Instagram users began leaving comments suggesting that the imagery of the shoot was overly sexualised and created for the male gaze. “Yeah there goes her chance to be taken seriously as an actress,” one person argued. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In response to the backlash, some fans were unhappy with a section that appeared to have been removed from the video that saw Sweeney licking a dripping ice cream cone. Someone else said: “It is not just the ice cream part that is sexual and objectifying her. It's the whole male-gaze shoot. “If you are so afraid of public reaction, why won’t you think before you act instead of all the post-production editing.” Another disappointed fan commented: “Whose idea was this photoshoot? It’s tacky! Some women objectify themselves in a very sexual way and then complain about being taken seriously. “You don’t need to be doing sex faces and be half naked licking ice cream to tell us you’re part of the powerful young Hollywood. Lmao.” In the interview, the 25-year-old spoke about starting a family saying: "I always wanted to be a young mom. I love acting, I love the business, I love producing, I love all of it. But what’s the point if I’m not getting to share it with a family?" Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Thousands of people have evacuated their homes and a state of emergency has been declared.