False trafficking claims ahead of World Cup
A number of anti-trafficking campaigns have been initiated in South Africa ahead of the World Cup.
While anti-trafficking initiatives are important, like the Counter Trafficking Coalition to which SWEAT belongs, to it is vital that campaign claims are not exaggerated and that the evidence they use to back-up their assertions are systematic, robust and true.
A recent addition to the trafficking discourse in South Africa is “Stop 2010 Human Trafficking” campaign:
http://www.2010humantraffic.org/STOP.htm?utm_source=STOP+2010+Human+T…
The video clip employs popular South African soapie stars and musicians who make a number of exaggerated claims about trafficking and legal frameworks. Most dangerous of all, it conflates sex work and trafficking.
Some unsubstantiated claims that originate from this video:
Stated as Fact: There are a 100 000 sex workers in South Africa
State of research: We don’t know how many sex workers there are in South Africa. Research on sex work has been severely neglected and we have very little knowledge of the number of people who engage in sex work. The only systematic enumeration of sex workers in South Africa was conducted in Cape Town. The researchers found just over 1200 sex workers working in that city in 2008.[1]
Stated as Fact: Legalisation of sex work makes trafficking worse.
State of research: There is no evidence for this.
Proponents of legalisation and decriminalisation models of sex work in fact hold that these models of non-criminalisation will open-up an otherwise murky industry, which will enable police to locate traffic victims and prostituted children. Indeed, a 5-year review of the decriminalised system in New Zealand reported that cooperation between sex workers, police and other agencies provided useful information about criminal activity.[2]
Stated as Fact Germany and Australia regret legalising sex work
State of research: No evidence available
Stated as fact: 100 000 people will fall victim to trafficking in South Africa before the World Cup
State of research: Before the 2006 Germany World Cup, media reports convinced the public that 40 000 women and children will be trafficked into Germany to meet the demand of an estimated 3 million soccer spectators. Research conducted after the World Cup found evidence of only 5 cases of trafficking [3] – that is an 8000 fold exaggeration.
FIFA estimates that 450 000 spectators will visit South Africa – that is 6 times less visitors than to the 2006 Germany World Cup.
What is trafficking?
According to the United Nations definition of trafficking, three conditions have to be met before a case of trafficking can be established [4]:
1. The person must be moved or transferred, harboured or received;
2. There must have been some form of coercion or deception involved; and
3. The actions should be for the purposes of exploitation
What is the difference between sex work and trafficking?
Most sex workers choose to take on sex work – albeit that this choice is constrained in many instances.
Just as no person wants to be sold into slavery, so no person would choose to be trafficked.
Conflating sex work and trafficking is detrimental to sex workers as it implies that they are sexual slaves without agency or choice. At the same time overestimating and sensationalising trafficking numbers divert important resources away from services that could benefit a wider audience.[5]
Counter-trafficking campaigns are important. Sex slavery is a form of torture with extremely damaging effects and must be stopped, but the extent and reach of trafficking should not be overestimated.
[1] Gould C, Fick N. Selling sex in Cape Town: Sex work and human trafficking in a South African city. Pretoria/Tswane: Institute for Security Studies 2008.
[2] Prostitution Law Reform Committee. Report of the Prostitution Law Reform Committee on the operation of the Prostitution Reform Act of 2003
Wellington; 2008 May 2008.
[3] The German Delegation to Multidisciplinary Group on Organised Crime / Article 36 Committee. Experience Report on Human Trafficking for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation and Forced Prostitution in Connection with the 2006 Football World Cup in Germany. Council of the European Union, Brussels, 5006/1/07; REV 1; CRIMORG 1; MIGR 1; 19 January 2007.
[4] United Nations. Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish Trafficking in persons, especially Women and Children – supplementing the United Nations Convention against transnational organized crime; 2000.
[5] Cusick L, Kinnell H, Brooks-Gordon B, Campbell R. Wild guesses and conflated meanings? Estimating the size of the sex worker population in Britain. Critical Social Policy. 2009;29(4):703-19.
