PROSTITUTION AND 2010 WORLD CUP

							PROSTITUTION AND 2010 WORLD CUP
Peter Henriot “Prostitution is in the news! So it should be in your column!” Well, that’s what a friend recently told me, and I’ve been thinking about that ever since. Yes, the widely publicised exchange of remarks by prominent Zambian MPs has stirred some news. But I’ll leave discussion of that very serious issue to others for the moment. And yes, there are the less widely publicised but very real “Zimbabwe ladies” business affairs, with impacts on the streets of Livingstone and the stalls of Lusaka’s Soweto market. Perhaps that serious issue might lessen depending on some improvement in Zimbabwe’s economy, if elections there can bring some free and fair transition in the government. But what I want to mention today is something that is only getting very little publicity but has the potential of being much more serious than activities among MPs and Zimbabwe ladies. This is the growing trafficking of women (and children) into a booming sex industry sparked in southern Africa by the coming of the 2010 World Cup. If you don’t think this is an issue, just go to “google” and do some free searches for legal and social analyses of what increases in “human trafficking” is meaning around the world. Today, the three major illegal businesses that are by far the biggest global money earners are: drug trafficking, arms trafficking and human trafficking. And human trafficking is referred to now as the “modern slave trade.” SEX AND SPORTING EVENTS Unfortunately, human trafficking for exploitative sex purposes has often been tied to big sporting events that attract large numbers of male participants and tourists. During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, it was anticipated that some 40,000 persons would be trafficked in for prostitution purposes. That high number didn’t occur, largely due to the German government’s pro-active steps to watch immigration patterns and increase police supervision. I was in Canada in October last year and learned of the growing concern that the 2008 Winter Olympics would promote a sex trade that thrives on trafficking of women and girls. Civil society organisations and religious groups were pressuring the Canadian government to take pre-emptive actions to prevent a huge boom in sex trade associated with the Olympics. What about China and the 2008 Olympics? Certainly a great amount of attention is being paid in the media – and in political negotiations – to human rights issues, Tibetan protests, ecological threats, etc. To date the Chinese government does not seem to have taken up as a serious issue the trafficking question. In its preparation for the 2012 Olympics, British authorities are already taking seriously the threat of an influx of trafficked women and girls for the sex industry. It is known that criminal gangs in Eastern Europe have a reputation for organizing trafficking for construction work and for prostitution in large numbers. There is a concern that unless something is done early, England could experience a very unhealthy set of side events before and during the Olympics. SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP Before saying anything about the connection of the big sporting event coming soon in South Africa to an increase in sex trafficking, it is honest simply to acknowledge that South Africa is already widely known as a regional centre for trafficking. Women and children are either facilitated in or lured into transportation to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and other big city areas, coming from surrounding countries. Just last week, IRIN, the United Nations humanitarian news service for southern Africa, reported that a 2003 study by the International Organisation on Migration estimated that 1000 Mozambican women and children were being trafficked to South Africa every year, mainly for sexual exploitation. They were being lured across the border by promises of education and employment.

When contemplating the potential for an increased demand for sexual opportunities during the 2010 Olympics, an MP from the ruling party in South Africa made a proposal in Parliament a few months ago that prostitution be legalised. Then the sex industry could be taxed and the government would be making extra revenue during the World Cup. The media reported that his proposal brought shouts and laughter in the parliamentary hall. But at least to date, as far as I know, it has not been rejected out of hand by government or the World Cup planning committees. So maybe legalisation is the best approach. But two questions should be taken into consideration before that option is taken. First, will we not see a repeat of the facts that criminal agents usually move in strongly when brothels have been legally established and women are not “protected” from exploitation and abuse? Second, where will the necessary numbers of prostitutes be found to make the sex industry adequately profitable – and effectively taxable? CONSEQUENCES FOR ZAMBIA This last question should certainly raise the attention of Zambian officials and citizens. For Zambian rural villages and urban compounds are natural “harvest fields” for diligent traffickers to visit and reap a “crop” of potential prostitutes for a fast-growing and profitable sex industry. Of course not all of the “crop” will have to be “exported” – some of it will certainly be used right here in Zambia, as has been the case in the past. An important study last year from the Zambian office of the International Labour Organisation demonstrated that sad fact. And with a growing demand for women and girls in South Africa and in tourist areas of Zambia (remember, we are hoping that the 2010 World Cup draws crowds not only to South Africa but also to Zambia), we can expect that trafficking in this country will be on the increase. The question now is, can or should we do anything about that potential threat? PRACTICAL ZAMBIAN ACTION Let me suggest three obvious responses. First, the Zambian law on trafficking needs immediate clarification and strengthening. It is currently difficult to directly target traffickers and they can easily slip through unnoticed by ill informed officials. Second, government, civil society organisations and churches should take up serious sensitisation efforts to alert citizens across the country about the dangers of trafficking. The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) has had some excellent radio and television adverts about the dangerous consequences of trafficking. Much more should be done along these lines, especially using local languages and traditional authorities. Third, liaison with authorities in South Africa should take place in the near future so that effective deterrent steps can be put in place as soon as possible. The key word in all of this is “pro-active.” All too often we tend to be “reactive,” only dealing with a serious issue once its seriousness is fully upon us. Would it be in order to suggest that the President and First Lady of Zambia would take a lead in a campaign to protect Zambian women and girls from the potential exploitation associated with trafficking? Surely this is a human rights issue that deserves the highest attention. phenriot@jesuits.org.zm [1137 words] Peter Henriot Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection Lusaka, Zambia Prepared for THE POST, Lusaka, 08 April 2008