Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning, Take international news everywhere with you! Sex trafficking from Nigeria is a growing problem throughout Europe. Human Trafficking: The Other Side Of The World Cup Which Nobody Sees 'Exactly what happens to whom during the World Cup events that generate so much money for some and such misery for others.' Columbia University Press There were reports that sexual exploitation had risen by 30 percent in connection with the World Cup in Germany in 2006, and 40 percent at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The ties between human trafficking and the Russian economy go beyond just the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. During the 2018 World Cup, Russia relaxed its visa requirements, allowing visa-free entry for all Fan ID holders to enter and exit Russia without a visa through December 31, 2018. According to the Global Slavery Index, there were more than a million victims of human trafficking in Russia in 2016. The IOM’s Kim said many women are forced into prostitution across Europe after being promised careers as hairdressers. The majority of police officers are still unaware or simply ignorant about the extent and gravity of human trafficking. France 24 screenshot | People abandoned by human traffickers gather outside a youth hostel in Central Moscow. Russia has criminalised human trafficking in article 127.1 of the criminal code. Julia Siluyanova, a coordinator for Alternative, explained that traffickers mostly force non-Russian-speaking women into prostitution because they are easier to silence. Human trafficking. Blessing Obuson thought Russia's soccer World Cup would be an opportunity to find a job and flew into Moscow from Nigeria last In 2003, President Vladimir Putin introduced laws making human trafficking a crime. Click on the video player above to watch FRANCE 24's exclusive report. Women and children from Europe (predominantly Ukraine and Moldova), Southeast Asia (primarily China and the Philippines), Africa (particularly Nigeria), and Central Asia are victims of sex trafficking in Russia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, economic instability, looser travel restrictions, and the absence of a functional legal system facilitated a rise in human trafficking. The Moscow-based anti-slavery NGO Alternative has accompanied police on raids of hidden brothels and discovered hundreds of women who are potential victims of trafficking. Human trafficking thrives at large sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup for many reasons. In recent years, the issue has become politicized due to Western pressure to adopt anti-trafficking policies. “Language is the key to isolating a woman,” she said. Latin American history offers a clear lesson to the United States: Ban Donald Trump from running for election ever again. Efforts to end modern slavery have bipartisan support — but the State Department is still missing an ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat trafficking in persons. The conflict in the eastern part of the neighbouring Ukraine has increased the risk of cross-border trafficking and forced labour due to war, displacement, and economic crisis. “We don’t know who you are, and it’s not our business,” was the government’s response, according to Siluyanova. Traffickers exploited this system to bring foreign sex trafficking victims into the country, especially from … The case of Amina, who spent just three months in sexual slavery before being rescued, was exceptional. The three previous World Cups -- in Brazil, South Africa and Germany -- had countrywide anti-trafficking campaigns aimed at educating fans about the effect of human trafficking. As the 2010 FIFA World Cup approaches, attention is increasingly focussed on one of the most pervasive crimes expected to accompany the boom in the South African tourism industry: human trafficking. Activists might spend days observing the location and the people going to and from the apartment. According to a 2017 IOM report, 80 percent of female migrants arriving in Italy from Nigeria — whose numbers have jumped from 1,454 in 2014 to 11,009 in 2016 — are potential victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Before the recent World Cup tournaments in Brazil, South Africa, and Germany, there were significant outreach campaigns to prevent human trafficking. The first daughter joined the secretary of state for the report's launch as the Trump administration tries to find its footing on human rights. The Human Rights organization Amnesty International staged the action to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In February, Amina had been lured to Russia through a job agency in Nigeria. ‘We’re in a Worse Place Today Than We Were Before He Came In’, As Merkel Prepares to Step Down, the Future of German Conservatism Is Open, Democracy at Home and Democracy Promotion Abroad Aren’t the Same, With Iran, Biden Can’t Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good, Biden Can’t Fight Corruption Without Help From Europe. Prior to the World Cup in Germany in 2006, there was considerable international concern that this event would contribute to a sharp increase in trafficking for According to CNN, five men, including a policeman and a quarantine officer were planning to fly the victims to Russia. Major sporting events including the World Cup, the Olympics, and the Super Bowl always spark warnings over an influx of trafficked workers, many of whom are the victims of forced prostitution. Concrete figures are notoriously elusive. Some are brainwashed into believing in a voodoo curse, that the madam is very powerful, and that their families will be in danger if they talk,” Siluyanova said. The information on Russia is constantly regarding the head of state[ Vladimir Putin ], not trafficking.” Thesis was because of leave Lagos for Moscow on the eve of the opening suit of the World Cup today and also had actually loaded their bags well in advance. The DPRK sends approximately 20,000 North Korean citizens to Russia annually for work in a variety of sectors, notably including logging in Russia's Far East and construction of the 2018 World Cup Stadiums – with 30,000 to 40,000 North Korean citizens believed to be present in Russia; reportedly many of these North Korean citizens are subjected to conditions of forced labor. The ties between human trafficking and the Russian economy go beyond just the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Picture taken February 21, 2019. In 2009, the International Labour Organization reported that forced labor is the most predominant form of trafficking in Russia. As trafficking soared in Russia in the 1990s, foreign and domestic NGOs and some Western governments put pressure on the Duma — the Russian parliament — to pass anti-trafficking legislation. Putin Doesn’t Care about Sex Trafficking... By signing up, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to occasionally receive special offers from Foreign Policy. In response to another question from the same survey, around 41 percent of the respondents blamed the victims for their situation, while another 41 percent believed women were duped by criminal gangs or sold into slavery by parents and friends. Trafficking victims are treated as criminals under the current law, said Kehinde, the Nigerian activist. Twenty-five percent of Russia’s GDP on average comes from the shadow economy, but that number skyrockets to 60 percent in some regions and economic sectors. As the 2018 World Cup final match came to a close in Russia, the world’s focus moved to 2022 and Qatar, where the next World Cup will be held. Three days later, Alternative rescued Amina and six other Nigerian women from a brothel on the outskirts of Moscow. Alternative has made progress with the support of the criminal investigations department in Moscow. Two Nigerians were later arrested and charged with human trafficking after striking a deal to sell Obuson for 2 million roubles (around $30,000) to a police officer posing as a client. With the 2022 World Cup set to take place in Qatar, terrible human rights abuses have come to light, especially the use of slaves to build stadiums. The Russian government derided the methodology, calling the report results “preformulated conclusions based on fragmentary evidence obtained from dubious sources.” In 2016, the Russian government stopped providing prosecution or victim rehabilitation data for the report. Until the Russian authorities step up their commitment to stop human trafficking, women will continue to be vulnerable. Thousands of people have been trafficked to Russia since June, according to the Nigerian anti-trafficking activist Oluremi Banwo Kehinde, who leads Help Services for Nigerians in Russia, an organization that supports African victims of human trafficking based in Moscow. Following the collapse of the … 48 Ukraine has one of the largest diasporas in the world, with the major share residing in Russia. The World Cup would have been a good place to start. The World Cup was played in Russia between June 14 and July 15, 2018. The suspects were […] The madams — many of whom were trafficked to Russia themselves — fear deportation, and angering the Nigerian diaspora. But beneath the buzzing, celebratory atmosphere lies a black market of human misery. Germany’s powerful Christian Democratic Union party selects a new leader and likely successor to Angela Merkel. The department collects information about diasporas and criminal groups, and it carries out extensive investigations. Since then, Russia has not introduced any further anti-trafficking laws, whereas all 14 other former Soviet Republics have passed a total of more than 100 human trafficking laws. In April, a woman in Nigeria called Alternative’s hotline for help. World Cup 2014: On myths and reality of sex trafficking. Despite repeated warnings from NGOs, Russian authorities declined to support the anti-trafficking measures. According to a question in a 2007 survey, only one-third of the participants agreed human trafficking in Russia was a substantial problem. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says there are plans by human traffickers to use the World Cup as a ploy to traffic Nigerian youth abroad. “Even when the women are rescued, they are afraid of reporting the madams’ crimes. Yet, in 2013, just 28 people were convicted of sex trafficking and forced labor. Report it and you could be put prison for lying.”. Alternative’s requests to put up billboards displaying their free hotline number next to airports were rejected. © 2021 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. Putin Doesn’t Care about Sex Trafficking They’re often psychologically abused into staying silent.”. For example, during the FIFA World Cup in Russia, many construction workers could have suffered trafficking, but instead, their employers denied them wages and … Image Credit: Flickr. While human trafficking and slavery have always been an issue in most areas of the globe, human trafficking in Russia became exacerbated with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, these FIFA-issued documents also provided a means to human trafficking gangs to bring people into Russia before enslaving them. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. The trafficking of women and girls for sexual abuse purposes is likely to increase in order to meet the expected rise in demand for sex. Many Russians blame the victims for falling into prostitution, which is why fighting human trafficking remains a low priority in government. Siluyanova recently reported an incident of sex trafficking to a chief investigator, who scoffed: “Voodoo-shmoodoo. She called her father to tell him what happened and that she was trying to prosecute the madam. The crowds at large sporting events are usually predominantly composed of men and this year’s FIFA World Cup was no different. Since then, Russia has not introduced any further anti-trafficking laws. The crowds at large sporting events are usually predominantly composed of men and this year’s FIFA World Cup was no different. 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