SPECIAL REPORT: THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE POWER OF SPORT
HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SPORT: THE SHADOWY REALITY HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT The Chair of the UK APPG on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery looks at the global issue of human trafficking in sport. As the Commonwealth Games approaches, we are likely to hear about issues that often come to the fore around mega-sporting events, namely, human trafficking. Sadly, we are familiar with reports of human trafficking resulting in forced labour and sexual exploitation. While these atrocities must be investigated and tackled, we do not often talk about a type of human trafficking that can begin well in advance of these sporting events – human trafficking within sport and through sport itself. In January of this year, I discussed with CPA UK about my role as a Parliamentarian concerned with issues of human trafficking. I discussed ways in which I have raised awareness of the topic of modern slavery both within the UK Parliament and with our friends and allies overseas. I spoke about the important distinction between human trafficking and smuggling, and I suggested analysing human trafficking as a financial crime, to offer a newer framework with which to tackle the issue. I also stated that I was keen to use the 2022 Commonwealth Games as an opportunity to have a discussion on the issue of sports trafficking, and CPA UK’s recent Roundtable Discussion on Sport Trafficking delivered just that. The Roundtable was an opportunity for Parliamentarians, academic experts, advocates, sports organisers, and industry stakeholders to share vital knowledge that empowers participants to address sport trafficking issues ahead of mega-sporting events. The CPA UK Branch had recently concluded a joint endeavour with Mission 89, one of the most impactful players in tackling sports trafficking, to produce resources1 for Parliamentarians, border officials, and the general public. Their resources also provide practical, actionable suggestions on how to spot and prevent sports trafficking within their respective roles. One clear take-away from the Roundtable was that the issue of sports trafficking is a complicated topic, often misunderstood and conflated with other forms of human trafficking. This is why it is even more important of an issue to raise.
How does human trafficking in sport happen? Human trafficking can happen to professional or aspiring athletes training for opportunities to secure sports contracts. A human trafficker may approach an athlete with the promise of a fair chance at competing for contracts with well-known sports clubs. To secure the opportunity, however, the trafficker will demand a large sum of money. During CPA UK’s Roundtable, Dr Erkut Sogut highlighted that the extended family of the player, community, or even village could contribute funds to make this sporting opportunity a reality. Typically, sums of US$3,000 - US$10,000 are exchanged for the sporting opportunity, and it is not uncommon for families and communities to pool their resources and take out loans to meet this demand.2 After the financial exchange is made, the victim may be taken to several sports trials with sports clubs in foreign countries, which can seem convincing to an athlete who is determined to secure a career in sport. During this process, the athlete may be forced to compete for those sports contracts in meagre conditions. Their ‘training’ may be exhaustive and their accommodation in poor condition.3 With little thought for the safety and wellbeing of the athletes themselves, they face a grim forked road ahead: they will either stay in exploitive contracts which favours their trafficker; or they will be abandoned and are forced to live in precarity.4 If the athlete remains in the hope of securing a genuine contract to work with a sports club, they will be trapped in a cycle of exploitation. If the athlete is abandoned by their trafficker, or they run away as soon as they realise their precarity, they are left to navigate getting to safety in a foreign country with no money and documentation. Although much attention has been given to trafficking within football5, this can technically happen within any sporting discipline. What is human trafficking through sport? What is the difference? A key difference between human trafficking in and through sport comes down to what happens to the victim once they are transported
Rt Hon. Karen Bradley, MP is a Member of the UK Parliament representing the constituency of Staffordshire Moorlands since May 2010 and is a Co-Chair of the AllParty Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. She has held several Ministerial positions including Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (2018 – 2019); Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2016 – 2018); and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Home Office (2014 – 2016). She has been Chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee since 2020. 132 | The Parliamentarian | 2022: Issue Two | 100 years of publishing