Warning over sex-trafficking ahead of World Cup

The World Cup in Germany could attract gangs trafficking women and children for sexual exploitation, it was claimed today.

Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney described human trafficking as modern day slavery and estimated up to 100,000 women are brought into Europe every year and forced to work as prostitutes.

Mr Coveney said: “It is vital that the message goes out to anyone that will be in Germany during the World Cup that trafficking people, primarily young girls, into forced prostitution is wrong, and that if they see a young girl or boy hanging around a hotel lobby and their intuition tells them that something is wrong that they report it.

“Human trafficking is a modern day form of slavery. It’s the third largest source of income for organised crime, after trafficking in drugs and arms.”

Last November Mr Coveney launched Business Travellers against Human Trafficking. The campaign is run by NGOs to raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking and prostitution with the business community, and to give business people a method of reporting when they see evidence of human trafficking or child prostitution.

Mr Coveney, who plans to run for his party in Cork South-Central in the next General Election, welcomed the fact that the campaign is now opening up to target all travellers.

Anyone who witnesses trafficking or forced prostitution during the World Cup can report such incidents in confidence via the website www.businesstravellers.org and the report will be forwarded to the local police station.

Mr Coveney added: “The information will also be passed to FIFA and to tour operators, and we hope that they would not book or use hotels where incidents have been reported.”

The MEP will launch ’Stop the Traffik’ at the European Parliament in Brussels next week at a lunchtime concert event featuring Daniel Bedingfield.

Stop the Traffik is a global coalition working together to help stop the sale of people, to prosecute traffickers and to protect the victims of human trafficking.

“Stop the Traffik aims to raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking and to call for change through the education of people in both source and receiving countries as well as by equipping individuals to be advocates for change.

“The initiative will also encourage and help finance grass roots anti-trafficking projects around the world,” Mr Coveney added.