A look upon the legacy of the World Cups in Brazil, South Africa and Germany
The 2014 World Cup and the increase of sexual exploitation in the Northeast The increase of sexual exploitation is one of the issues discussed in the cities which will host the 2014 World Cup. For organizations associated to the feminist cause, the event will contribute to an increase of sexual exploitation and trafficking of women. According to estimates of the Association of Prostitutes of Ceará (APROCE), about 3,500 women are in a situation of prostitution in Fortaleza, and major events contribute to increase sexual tourism in seaside resorts and their surroundings in the host cities. The cities of Salvador (BA), Natal (RN) and Fortaleza (CE) have shown an intensification of prostitution, also strengthened by the presence of women traffickers coming from other municipalities and States. According to Daniela Alencar, human rights lawyer of the National Network of Lawyers and Popular Lawyers (RENAAP) and ex-coordinator of the Secretariat of Public Policies for Women in Fortaleza, a survey conducted in 2009 by the National Federation of Sex Workers which focused on the Association of Prostitutes of Ceará points out that most prostitutes in the State started their sexual
activities during adolescence and have prostitution as their only source of income. “In Fortaleza, the vast majority of sex professionals is between 26 and 30 years old, and declare themselves heterosexual. Most of these women started to work as prostitutes between their adolescence and early adulthood (16-20 years old); 41% earn up to one minimum wage as income. When asked if they wished to obtain qualifications in other areas, 79% answered yes. Regarding race and ethnicity, 31% said they are mixed race (“pardas”). As for schooling, 34% did not finish fundamental education; 63% of the women interviewed have prostitution as their only source of income”, says Daniela. For the lawyer, the lack of investments in public policies to assist prostitutes shows that the government is not worried with the negative impact an event such as the World Cup might cause. Working around the several seaside resorts in big cities, they are vulnerable to several forms of violation of their rights, including: coercion by pimps, bar owners and nightclub managers; submission to humiliation and violence by clients and traffickers. In most cases, one can notice the inefficiency of the assistance centers for women victims of violence, since they have structural problems that make the provision of such assistance difficult or even impossible. All over the world, prostitution is the third most profitable activity for organized crime. It is a chain that moves US$ 32 billion per year, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Without any alternatives, thousands of women are submitted to the slavery of their own bodies to survive
– 79% of this revenue (US$ 25.3 billion) come from sexual exploitation only. In an interview published on December 11th, 2012, on the Odara (Institute for Black Women) website, Valdecir Nascimento, an activist and former executive coordinator of the organization, affirms that the World Cup will objectify the women from Bahia and stimulate prostitution among the tourists, meeting the businessmen’s interests and increasing discrimination against women.91 “I had high expectations for the World Cup in Salvador, because it is an event that mobilizes financial resources. So I had imagined that this money would benefit the populations of other parts of the city, through productive inclusion programs, but this is not our reality. What we see happening is the businessmen’s interests coming first”, said Valdecir. In Brazil, prostitution and paying for sex are not crimes. However, exploiting people through sexual activities; inducing or facilitating prostitution and sexual exploitation; and preventing people from quitting these activities are serious offences according to the Criminal Code, with sentences which might vary from one to ten years in prison.
Greice Lima collaborated.
[91] Excerpt from the interview with Valdecir Nascimento available on the Odara Institute website: http:// institutoodara.org.br/ativistas-falam-sobre-a-copa-domundo-em-salvador/.
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