My name is Baraya Louis and I am a former Haiti Women’s National team player.  I grew up in Haiti with the dream of playing football for my country in the Women’s World Cup.

What should have been a dream come true turned into a nightmare.  At the national football academy, I realized that I and other girls and boys as young as 12 were at constant risk of sexual harassment and abuse by the president of Haiti’s national football federation, Yves Jean-Bart, other leaders and coaches—who were supposedly protecting children.

Around the world, athletes begin their careers as children.  Sexual predators in sport federations take advantage of our aspirations as athletes to abuse and silence players. 

As athletes, survivors, and whistleblowers we have spoken up and reported the abuses to FIFA, the global governing body for football.  Instead of giving us protection and a way to safely play and report sexual abuse, FIFA protected itself and exposed victims to death threats. 

Former Haiti football federation president Yves Jean-Bart and senior staff were suspended by FIFA in 2020, and Jean Bart was banned for life in November 2020 after dozens of victims gave evidence against him. 

In February 2023, the lifetime ban on Jean-Bart was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, betraying survivors who risked our lives to report abuse. 

Football leaders in Haiti and worldwide earned power and millions in funding from FIFA to advance the women’s game.  Instead, those leaders stole money, and our wages as professionals, and abused child athletes.

The financial abuse of female players and the lack of proper pay helps enable the systemic sexual exploitation that we players endured for decades. 

Please sign and share my petition demanding FIFA live up to its own rules, and provide:

• safe reporting of abuse,
• remedy for survivors, and
• equal pay for female players, including prize money at the Women’s World Cup.

Support #AthletesAgainstAbuse by helping me raise 100,000 signatures to tell FIFA female athletes deserve pay equality, safety, protection and justice!

*Baraya is a pseudonym that means "Brave Girl".

#AthletesAgainstAbuse