2010 World Cup exposes Southern African women to human trafficking

Seodi White: Wlsa Malawi boss

Next year, Africa will for the first time host the Federation Internationale de football Association (FIFA) World Cup event to be staged in the Republic of South Africa (RSA).

Countries and nationals surrounding the host nation, including Malawi, expect to benefit a lot through the event in different ways, particularly infrastructure, tourism and economic development.

However, there are fears that the world’s most prestigious football event will negatively impact women and girls of Southern Africa as many acts of human trafficking are certainly expected, looking at the high levels of poverty in the region.

As observed by the Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Educational Trust (WLSA) Malawi national coordinator Seodi White, the vulnerable groups that might also include boys are expected to travel to RSA in pursuit of all the real and imagined opportunities associated with the major event.

“The low social and economic status of women in this part of Africa, many women and young girls will find themselves in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup and they will be vulnerable to sexual exploitation,” White said this in Blantyre on Monday.

According to WLSA, a grouping of lawyers and social scientists who conduct research that supports action to improve the socio-legal position of women in the southern part of Africa, the region remains one of the areas in the world with increasing trends of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Further, White revealed that in assessing the preparedness of to deal with human trafficking and sexual exploitation during the 2010 World Cup, “[Southern Africa Development Community] SADC states are far from ready, and it puts lives of women and girls at risk.”

The US report on trafficking 2008 indicates that the Republic of South Africa does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. It has been placed on the tier 2 watch list for the 4th consecutive year, with Germany placed in tier 1.

Consequently, as one way of tackling the problem in the entire region, WLSA has launched the Red Light 2010 Campaign, which will ensure the World Cup does not increase women and girl’s vulnerability to trafficking in Southern Africa.

Basically, the campaign has been initiated to raise awareness and educate people on human trafficking and also to lobby for policy and legal frameworks that address the malevolent act, which is becoming more rampant as it is believed to be more lucrative.

Meanwhile, WLSA Malawi says the targeted area in the country is the eastern district of Mangochi, where according to White is a high risk district for trafficking in the south-east African state.

She noted that historically, young men in Mangochi upon reaching puberty travel to South Africa to find jobs which are menial in nature though they return to the district with cars, money and other luxury goods that give a picture that South Africa is a land of milk and honey.

“This creates an illusion on many residents in the district and creates South Africa as a destination point of ambition.

“With the FIFA World Cup, looming have reasonable apprehension that these young men will be coaxed into bringing young girls into South Africa for purposes of trafficking them,” pointed out the WLSA Malawi national coordinator.

She said her organization will engage local villagers in the district on football matches as well as rallies in order to sensitize them on the dangers of human trafficking so that girls are not lured to the city of lights and lose their lives.

Malawi is one of the many countries in Southern Africa, where many people cannot detect acts of human trafficking. The country also has no specific anti-trafficking law, which is yet to be passed by the National Assembly.

Tagged with: FIFA, Seodi White, South Africa, Wlsa Malawi, World Cup 2010

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