With the #MeToo movement gripping the world, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is all set to implement strict rules and regulations, called ‘Safeguarding Policy and Guidelines’, to deal with cases of sexual harassment.

As per a report published in The Hindu, the topic is expected to be discussed at the ICC’s quarterly four-day meeting in Singapore starting on Wednesday, 17 October. The meeting is likely to discuss action to be taken in the event of following pattern of behaviour:

(a) Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional or otherwise) of children or adults at risk.

(b) Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional or otherwise) of adults not at risk.

(c) Harassment of children or adults at risk.

(d) Harassment of adults not at risk.

(e) Indecency (exposing themselves to someone else), bullying, victimisation, unwanted physical contact, stalking, offensive comments, jokes or body language, publishing, circulating or displaying pornographic, sexually suggestive or otherwise offensive material or pictures being specifically pointed out.

ICC’s new policy against inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment are expected to be in place before the upcoming ICC Women’s WT20. WWCT20 will kickstart on November 9 in the West Indies.

ICC COO Iain Higgins and Senior Legal Counsel Sally Clark have written a note to the parties concerned (Chief Executives Committee, Women’s Committee, Development Committee and the ICC Board) about nine incidents of sexual harassment in the last year and a half. “These types of incidents cannot be tolerated. Given that the next event on the ICC calendar is the ICC Women’s WT20 (in the West Indies from Nov. 9 to 24), which we consider to be an event at the higher end of the risk spectrum, it is recommended that the ICC policies are put in place, if at all possible, in advance of the start of this event,” the note said.

Both Higgins and Clark have urged the committees and the ICC Board “to consider the introduction of a Safeguarding Policy for the ICC (and related guidelines for Members) to protect children and vulnerable adults, as well as policies and contractual mechanisms that protect adult participants (adults who are not considered ‘at risk’) from sexual harassment and drive improved standards of ‘off-field’ behaviour.”