Compiled by Pat Ritz
Exploitation and Trafficking of Women: 2006 World Cup in Germany
The following facts (also see Landesfrauenrat write-up on page 13) and the petition regarding the trafficking and exploitation of women were distributed to all of the participants at the FAWCO Conference in Berlin. The petition was addressed directly to Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, and to Gerhard Mayer-Volfelder, the President of FIFA Germany. AWCHamburg members may add their signatures to the petition at the AGM in April.
Facts on the Preparations for World Cup in Germany
From June 9 to July 9 Germany will host the World Cup for Soccer. Some three million football fans, mostly males, will attend the games which will be hosted in twelve German cities from Berlin to Stuttgart. It is estimated that some 40,000 women will be imported from central and eastern Europe to satisfy the sexual needs of these men. Germany legalized both prostitution and the pimping for prostitution in 2002, but those in the local sex industry do not believe that local prostitutes will be able to satisfy the huge demand. While consensual sex is not considered to be the problem, it is feared that a significant proportion of those "imported" will be unwilling women and young girls, trafficked by organized crime rings.
Mega-Brothel for Fans
Local sex industry organizers have created a 3,000 meter "mega-brothel" in Berlin right next to the main World Cup venue to accommodate some 650 male clients at a time. The new facility has been christened Verrichtungsbox which roughly translated means "performance boxes". These boxes are in a fenced area the size of a football field, each looking like toilets, but they are complete with condoms, showers and parking for the buyers. According to reports, maximum attention has been given to protecting the anonymity of the buyers. Many fear that these hidden cubicles will only enhance the opportunity for violence against the women.
European Parliament Warning
The European Parliament has already issued a warning about the trafficking of women and children during the 2006 World Cup. On January 17 the EU members called on all member states, but particularly Germany, to take appropriate measures to prevent the trafficking of women and forced prostitution during the World Games. It went on to ask member states to strengthen law enforcement and the prosecutions and punishments for traffickers.
What you can do?
Please join other members of FAWCO in signing the petition addressed to Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, and to Gerhard Mayer-Vofelder, President of the German Football Association (FIFA), to protest this blatant exploitation of women as part of the World Cup celebrations. Petition forms will be available at the AWCHamburg annual meeting in April.
For more information about human trafficking, visit the United Nations website: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/trafficking_human_beings.html
and/or the website from the Coalition Against the Trafficking of Women at http://catwepetition.ouvaton.org/php/index.php.
