Many have spent that last few weeks planning their schedules around the World Cup. It has been blasted across bar televisions, office lounges and radio shows. People just can’t seem to get enough of the World Cup games, the shirtless players and Brazil.
While, from the comfort of your couch or replay on your iPhone screen, it is easy to forgot the dangerous within this year’s World Cup host. Prostitution is a legal form of occupation within the Brazilian Ministry of Labor. “Brazil’s Labor and Employment Ministry Primer on Sex Professional” is a legal document outlining the terms and conditions of prostitution and sex work within its country. It is stated that, “The activities are exercised following rules and procedures that minimize the profession vulnerabilities.” One of these rules specifies that while prostitution is legal, paying for sex with a minor, an individual seventeen-years-old or younger, is a crime.
Just last month the Mirror reported a high increase in prostitution due to the World Cup. The article focused on children, living on the streets of Brazil, addicted to drugs and forced into sex work. “This shocking trade of young girls and boys on street corners goes on under the noses of police in the world’s seventh wealthiest economy.”
The way of dealing with sexual harassment seems to be “normalizing” it. By treating harassment as inevitable in Brazil, the repercussions are unclear, with punishments few and far between. Mark Williams-Thomas of the Mirror states, “…when I asked the officer when was the last case they dealt with of a child either selling themselves for sex or being sold by an adult for sex, he could not remember because it was such a long time ago.”
NY Daily News reports, “As of 2012, an estimated half a million children worked as child prostitutes in Brazil.” The article continued, explaining how many case workers feel it is the encouragement of sex tourism within Brazil’s culture that has brought the statistics to such high numbers. When in Brazil, almost any taxi driver will ask if you’d like to be brought to a location to purchase sex or drugs. They will list the different types of “products” for sale, such as, crack, glue, brunettes, blondes and so on.
With the popularity and increase of tourism due to the World Cup many have attempted to combat issues surrounding child prostitution and illegal drug use. “…numerous non-profit organizations are launching campaigns against child abuse,” stated the NY Daily News. Players, like Gary Lineker, have joined in on campaigns and advertisements to educate tourists on the dangers surrounding child prostitution.
With organizations and charities, such as Happy Child International, Brazil has begun to tackle this year-round issue in hopes to improve the quality of life and safety of its children.
