Soccer is life to millions of fans across the globe, so the start of the World Cup 2010 in Johannesburg sparked massive celebrations—and massive controversy.
Before the opening ceremonies, reports were launched on South African television estimating that up to 100,000 locals would fall victim to sex trafficking, and over 40,000 prostitutes would be flooding into the country for the tournament.
Despite the warnings, many say that the potential for “World Cup Sex Slaves” is just “hype” and there’s “no evidence” of any mass influx of sex workers. As an example, the 2006 World Cup was hosted in Germany, where prostitution is legal, and brothels expanded to meet a demand that didn’t happen—which, isn’t surprising, as apparently 95 percent of Germans would rather watch their country play in the World Cup than have sex.
Contrary to the dubious fears of rampant sex occurring under the World Cup’s nose, FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, fell under attack as it banned condoms and HIV informational material from stadiums. In response to criticism, FIFA has pledged to broadcast commercials during the games for Durex condoms—a brand that is far too expensive for most South Africans to purchase.
Before the opening ceremonies, reports were launched on South African television estimating that up to 100,000 locals would fall victim to sex trafficking, and over 40,000 prostitutes would be flooding into the country for the tournament.
Despite the warnings, many say that the potential for “World Cup Sex Slaves” is just “hype” and there’s “no evidence” of any mass influx of sex workers. As an example, the 2006 World Cup was hosted in Germany, where prostitution is legal, and brothels expanded to meet a demand that didn’t happen—which, isn’t surprising, as apparently 95 percent of Germans would rather watch their country play in the World Cup than have sex.
Contrary to the dubious fears of rampant sex occurring under the World Cup’s nose, FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, fell under attack as it banned condoms and HIV informational material from stadiums. In response to criticism, FIFA has pledged to broadcast commercials during the games for Durex condoms—a brand that is far too expensive for most South Africans to purchase.
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