Women, Sports, and the World Cup
By Julie Clawson
When South Africa was selected to host the World Cup, there was much rejoicing and reflection on how far the country had come. From the days of apartheid where human beings were not treated as fully human, the country has worked hard at reconciliation. The world used to forbid South Africa from even participating in global sporting events like the Olympics because of apartheid, so certainly, hosting an event like this was a great symbolic act for the country. No one is naïve enough to assume that all is well in South Africa. Dire poverty and economic disparity still plague the country. Old resentments still surface as forgiveness is not always easy. As with most countries, racial wounds do not heal quickly.
But amidst this celebration, it is troubling to hear one of the major stories coming out of the World Cup is the issue of all the sex slaves trafficked into the country for the event. While human trafficking is common for any major event like the World Cup or the Olympics, the problem is seemingly worse in a country like South Africa. The U.S. State Department considers South Africa to be a source of sexual slavery and forced labor, as well as a destination for human trafficking from other countries and a transit nation for the modern slave trade. South African human rights groups estimate that 38,000 children are trapped in the country’s sex trade. While there have been disputed reports regarding how many people have been trafficked in for the games, the fact remains that it is occurring.
For a games meant to symbolically celebrate a country’s efforts to see all of its citizens as full human beings worthy of respect, the widespread presence of human trafficking simply undermines that message. But while the country might be responsible for not trying harder to prevent trafficking in their borders, the real problem comes from the tourists and fans that create the demand for sex slaves. When the world gathers to celebrate sport and national pride together and the result is thousands of women and children abused and oppressed, good sportsmanship is nonexistent.
So what causes a celebration of national identity and a love of sports to end up in the oppression and demeaning of women and children? Is it an expression of power? Misplaced masculinity? There’s been much talk about what the governments did or did not do to prevent the trafficking, but why aren’t we talking about how to get fans to stop raping children as part of their celebration?
Julie Clawson is a mother, a former pastor, and a writer. She moderates the Emerging Women blog and has a personal blog at julieclawson.com. She is the author of Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices.
Tags: Human trafficking, sex slavery, South Africa, world cup
June 15th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
This breaks my heart. While in America we are all gathering to drink, eat and cheer the teams on so many are being wounded minute by minute.
I am disgusted and angry – but what do I do with that?
June 16th, 2010 at 5:18 am
I agree – I have heard a lot of stories about this, but not much as to what a person can do to stop it. I know its difficult to stop when its so widespread, but surely there are organizations on the ground in SA that are involved?
June 16th, 2010 at 5:34 am
[...] humor, George Whitefield, Jesus statute, sex trafficking, Steve Jobs trackback Heartbreaking: Widespread sex-trafficking during the World Cup. South Africa is one of the worst nations for the trafficking of women and [...]
June 16th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
[...] into its streets from Johannesburg to Durban. The rising tide of sexual slavery has garnered deserved coverage–ESPN’s reporting is particularly commendable given that they are the main [...]
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:39 am
While I have not been watching the World Cup, I am deeply disturbed in my spirit about the dark underbelly of international sports. I think what saddens me most is the blame shifting that has been going on for years under the system of patriarchy–the female body is a mere commodity. Rarely in church, do we hear the siren call for action because we are too busy worrying about being comfortable.
June 24th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Sadly, this is a scam. Sex trafficking is an enormous problem, but there is no evidence that this happening. During the last 2 world cups, the same false story was promoted. Perhaps it’s being done by well-meaning people using the event to heighten awareness of a terrible problem. But the World Cup sex trafficking story has been debunked twice before. I suppose this year’s even is no different, but it does concern me that this becomes something of smear of the South Africans. Previously:
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/2850/
June 26th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Micha – I’ve read conflicting reports on that. Some say there is no/little evidence, others say the evidence is there. During the last Olympics in Vancouver there were clear reports of a major increase. Obviously the numbers are hard to track, and it is far easier to round up and prosecute prostitutes as prostitutes than do an investigation and embarrass the country by revealing trafficking. This isn’t just about South Africa, to say that it is ignores the issue of why this happens at all.
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