World Cup Prostitution Mania vs. Facts

Almost every day I get reports of yet another group using the huge brothel nearby and portable min brothels at the world cup as an excuse to make a huge international issue about "trafficking" of poor children etc forced into prostitution. The German government has reported there is no evidence of any forced trafficking, but facts get in the way of the anti prostitution groups to make this a huge issue.

Remember in the U.S. "trafficking" includes consenting adult prostitution not just forced prostitution which is defined as "extreme trafficking". So whenever you hear from the Bush Administration the word trafficking it includes private consenting adult sexwork unlike what the term implies to most folks (forced). "Exploitation" also refers to consenting adults choosing sexwork since officially all women who are in sexwork are exploited, there is no such thing in the Bush agenda for consenting adult private prostitution.

Yes I am sure some coerced trafficking may occurs, but its rare, illegal and blown out of proportion. Private consenting adult sexwork is legal in almost all the world without significant negative issues. In Germany brothel workers are employees, covered by health care and pension plans. There are strict laws against children or forced prostitution just like in the U.S. But again they use the Word-cup as a platform to rally those against all forms of sexwork with terrible fears of children being forced into prostitution to get the emotional response they seek instead of facts about the vastly different kinds of sexwork most of which has none of the issue they rile against.

Just one example
Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute Launches Email Petition to Stop German World-Cup Prostitution
NEW YORK, June 16, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute has initiated a massive email campaign to enlist the support of concerned people around the world in opposing the sexual exploitation of women during the World Cup in Germany.

The German government has come under intense criticism for the country’s tacit promotion of prostitution during the World Cup games now underway in the country. In particular, human rights advocates have harshly condemned the importation of 40,000 sex trade workers, many of whom they say are trafficked. “These women come from desperately poor circumstances,” C-FAM said. “According to reports, most will not speak German. Most are being 'sex trafficked' against their wills. They are told that they are going to be models, waitresses, or some other harmless occupation. Many will be brutally assaulted by intoxicated fans.”

“Whatever their circumstances, each and every one of these young women is someone’s daughter, a child of god and deserves our protection! They do not deserve to be exploited and sentenced to a life of misery to satisfy the sexual appetites of soccer fans.” The pro-family advocacy organization is gathering signatures for an email petition to be sent to the German government.

The United States Department has issued its fifth annual Trafficking in Persons Report, along with the $82 million in anti-trafficking assistance our nation provided to foreign governments and non-government organizations last year, demonstrates our strong commitment to this cause. The TIP Report serves to expose these despicable aspects of trafficking. It provokes, lauds, and challenges. Countries including the United States, which is dealing with its own trafficking problem, have been inspired to greater action against human trafficking as a result of this unique compendium. By reading it, we hope you are joining with us in the abolitionist movement of the 21st century to advance freedom for the world's most vulnerable citizens." - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

The Real Story
Munich prostitution raid
Source: http://cbs.sportsline.com/worldcup/story/9494207  June 12 2006
A raid in Munich's red-light district found no signs of women forced into prostitution for the World Cup, although police said Monday they found significantly more prostitutes at work than usual. Officers raided 48 brothels and checked six streetwalking zones in the Bavarian capital on Saturday night, a day after the tournament opened.

A German man who had brought a 19-year-old Ukrainian woman to work at a brothel was briefly detained on suspicion of human trafficking. He was released after police found no evidence she had been forced into prostitution, spokesman Andreas Ruch said. Police found that "all the businesses that were checked had increased noticeably the number of prostitutes working for them during the World Cup," Ruch said, estimating the number of prostitutes working in Munich has risen to 800 from the usual 500. However, "the increase in guests that the red-light scene was hoping for so far has failed to appear," Ruch said.

Before the World Cup, anticipation of a sex-trade boom raised fears of an increase in forced prostitution, with an estimated 40,000 women from poorer Eastern European countries forecast to head to Germany for the tournament -- some possibly against their will. Already, the European Union estimates more than 100,000 women in Europe each year are forced into prostitution. (this kind of hysteria brings in lots of money to the organizations that make this such an overblown issue vs. women who choose to be sexworkers)

Prostitution is legal in Germany, with about 400,000 people registered in the trade.

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