You won’t need to be told that this edition of the tournament was, er, slightly questionable on rights.
Human Rights Watch called it the ‘World Cup of Shame‘, while The New York Times referred to a group containing Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt as ‘The Group of Death. And Torture. And Incarceration‘. Thousands called for a boycott in the lead-up to the tournament.
Shining a Light On The Best and Worst
The World Cup in Russia. Credit: Unsplash
They’re all correct, but we decided to take a slightly different approach. The World Cup is a festival of culture and aesthetic, so we wanted to open a conversation right in the middle of the fans and the boycotters. So, we’ve been making graphics for every match (well, almost – we slightly forgot Peru v Denmark was happening).
It’s time to take the discussion out of the endlessly negative, and towards shining a light on the best and worst.
The World Cup is massive, and it’s too fun to shun. We think it’s time to take the rights discussion out of the endlessly negative, and shine a light on the best and worst around the world. Did you know that Uruguay is one of the world’s most LGBT-friendly places, but has almost double the world average prison population rate? Or that Iceland has the world’s smallest gender pay gap, but has been criticised by Amnesty International for a growing sexual harassment problem?
Did you know Brazil has a lower poverty rate than France, Belgium and the UK?
It isn’t about working out which country is the best for human rights, or which deserves the most criticism – it’s about recognising the positive effects human rights are having on important everyday aspects of life around the world.
So, if you’re feeling a bit lost now that the whole thing’s over, here’s our recap of all the human rights action, game by game.
World Cup of Human Rights – Russia v Saudi Arabia
… and a few important stats on #RUS and #KSA here 👇
#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/qWFVAN6Wmz
— EachOther (@EachOtherUk) June 14, 2018
Egypt v Uruguay
And here's some key facts about #EGY and #URU ahead of kick off.#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7ujy8DQC09
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 15, 2018
Morocco v Iran
Next up on #RightsWorldCup, we have #MAR vs #IRN!#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/V67uMW9Zd4
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 15, 2018
Serbia v Costa Rica
Here's Serbia and Costa Rica's human rights stats ahead of kick off. #WorldCup #SRB #CRC pic.twitter.com/YKEB4GYuIo
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 17, 2018
Germany v Mexico
Here's Germany and Mexico's human rights stats ahead of kick off!#WorldCup #GER #MEX pic.twitter.com/jPEf0bOMdT
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 17, 2018
Brazil v Switzerland
Here's how Brazil and Switzerland line up on human rights.#WorldCup #BRA #SUI pic.twitter.com/Ne1Z2pguoQ
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 17, 2018
Sweden v South Korea
How do Sweden and South Korea line up on human rights stats?#WorldCup #SWE #KOR pic.twitter.com/b55DaGUHaJ
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 18, 2018
Belgium v Panama
#BEL vs #PAN#WorldCup #RightsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/r8fPNI7PKb
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 18, 2018
England v Tunisia
⚽️ GOAL ALERT ⚽️
It's now 1-0 to #ENG. But how do our #HumanRights stats stack up against #TUN? #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/W66f9yfQj6
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 18, 2018
Saudi Arabia v Uruguay
Here's how Uruguay and Saudi Arabia line up on human rights.#WorldCup #URU #KSA pic.twitter.com/6vzKMbn0xz
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 20, 2018
Brazil v Costa Rica
Brazil v Costa Rica is up next. Here's how they line up.#WorldCup #BRA #CRC pic.twitter.com/ECqIm64CQJ
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 22, 2018
Argentina v Croatia
It's #ARG v #CRO#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/SANiR2ty09
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 21, 2018
France v Peru
Are you supporting #FRA or #PER? Here's how their #HumanRights stack up.#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/OSKoAw3BOL
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 21, 2018
Denmark v Australia
It's almost time for #DEN v #AUS… But how do their #HumanRights line up?#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/jmHT6BHNmv
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 21, 2018
Spain v Iran
How do Spain and Iran's human rights records stack up?#WorldCup #ESP #IRN pic.twitter.com/BRW8alu5Dg
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 20, 2018
Uruguay v Saudi Arabia
Here's how Uruguay and Saudi Arabia line up on human rights.#WorldCup #URU #KSA pic.twitter.com/6vzKMbn0xz
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 20, 2018
Russia v Egypt
Here's how Russia and Egypt line up on human rights.#WorldCup #RUS #EGY pic.twitter.com/w4HfjYdWyw
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 19, 2018
Colombia v Japan
Here's how Colombia and Japan line up on human rights.#WorldCup #COL #JPN pic.twitter.com/djJpyk7JzF
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 19, 2018
Senegal v Poland
Here's how Senegal and Poland match up on human rights.#WorldCup #SEN #POL pic.twitter.com/WX4SYcSali
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 19, 2018
Serbia v Switzerland
Here's how Serbia and Switzerland line up on human rights.#WorldCup #SRB #SUI pic.twitter.com/zq2REuGC3g
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 22, 2018
Belgium v Tunisia
How do Belgium and Tunisia line up on human rights?#WorldCup #BEL #TUN pic.twitter.com/l41QznPsh1
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 23, 2018
South Korea v Mexico
How do South Korea and Mexico line up on human rights?#WorldCup #KOR #MEX pic.twitter.com/sQLuI2ndVs
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 23, 2018
Germany v Sweden
How do Germany and Sweden line up on human rights?#WorldCup #GER #SWE pic.twitter.com/wbM43eUDYV
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 23, 2018
Colombia v Poland
It's almost time for #POL v #COL.
But how do they stack up on #WomensRights?#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/3yazg7KEfw
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 24, 2018
Japan v Senegal
Here's their #HumanRights stats. #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/oZjcg5N3ba
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 24, 2018
England v Panama
#ItsComingHome… Maybe?
Here's how #ENG and #PAN line up on #HumanRights. #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/w2UAMmBBI6
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 24, 2018
Portugal v Iran
Here's how Portugal and Iran line up on human rights.#WorldCup #POR #IRN pic.twitter.com/ggHoPD7gty
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 25, 2018
Uruguay v Russia
#URU v #RUS kicks off soon.#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/LaBmZO9X32
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 25, 2018
Saudi Arabia v Egypt
Here's how Saudi Arabia and Egypt line up on human rights.#WorldCup #KSA vs #EGY pic.twitter.com/37QPFgv5Fq
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 25, 2018
Iceland v Croatia
It's Iceland v Croatia now in #WorldCup– but how else do they line up?#ISL #CRO #ISLCRO pic.twitter.com/mr93sYsYED
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 26, 2018
France v Argentina
Here's how France and Argentina line up on human rights stats ahead of their Quarter Final.#WorldCup #FRA #ARG pic.twitter.com/u3eQ8Gh0TV
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) June 30, 2018
Brazil v Mexico
Here's how Brazil and Mexico line up on human rights stats.#WorldCup #BRA #MEX pic.twitter.com/fyTuPkHThG
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 2, 2018
Japan v Belgium
How do Japan and Belgium line up on human rights?#WorldCup #JPN #BEL pic.twitter.com/oPQI9AZdbi
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 2, 2018
Switzerland v Sweden
Here's how Switzerland and Sweden line up on human rights stats#WorldCup #SUI #SWE pic.twitter.com/BwDXPSrqOl
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 3, 2018
England v Colombia
Here's how England and Colombia line up on human rights stats.#WorldCup #ENG #COL pic.twitter.com/jU4MNiJYH7
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 3, 2018
Uruguay v France
Here's how Uruguay and France line up on human rights stats.#WorldCup #URU #FRA pic.twitter.com/v8KjvmTp7X
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 6, 2018
Brazil v Belgium
Here's how Brazil and Belgium line up on human rights stats.#WorldCup #BRA #BEL pic.twitter.com/GTvKDZZ7W6
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 6, 2018
England v Sweden
July 7th: #ENG v #SWE pic.twitter.com/KlOowRLnUd
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 11, 2018
France v Belgium
Here's how France and Belgium line up on human rights stats ahead of their semi final.#WorldCup #FRA #BEL pic.twitter.com/UilTxVLRiE
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 10, 2018
England v Croatia
Here's how England and Croatia line up on human rights stats.#WorldCup #ENG #CRO #ENGCRO pic.twitter.com/MesyEsA0RY
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 11, 2018
France v Croatia
Here's how France and Croatia line up on human rights stats ahead of the #WorldCupFinal#WorldCup #FRA #CRO pic.twitter.com/jqP07BiDKi
— RightsInfo (@rights_info) July 15, 2018
Words by Benjamin Lowrie. Template Design by Rhys Norman. Graphic Editing and Research by Jem Collins and Benjamin Lowrie.