“These girls come from extreme poverty, a culture of social exclusion and a tradition of profound disrespect for women,” Antonia Lima Sousa, state prosecutor, told CNN of the underage pro’stitutes. Desperate girls, as young as 10 years old, with nowhere to turn see the World Cup as an auspicious money-making opportunity because of the influx of men to the area. These child pro’stitutes are selling their bodies in Recife, one of the competition’s host cities, for as little as 1.30 British pounds — a little over $2, the Mirror reported. Coupled with selling se’x, also comes a climate of drug abuse, which some pro’stitutes say helps them go on. “Sniffing the glue makes me feel dizzy and numb and it stops me feeling hungry so I don’t need to eat,” a Lorissa, a child se’x worker, told the Mirror. “It helps me cope with the violence and danger on the streets.” The drastic rise in demand for pro’stitution isn’t secluded to Brazil. Experts say that any major sporting events usually lead to such a spike.
Prostitute: Raphaela, 13. (Photo Credit: SATIRO) “To understand the dynamics of human trafficking is to understand that events such as the Super Bowl could never not be breeding grounds for se’xual exploitation,” Judy Harris Kluger, executive director of Sanctuary for Families, wrote in a HuffPost blog in advance of the Super Bowl. “On the most basic level, any location that sees an exponential increase in large numbers of men traveling for entertainment will receive a proportional increase in those who purchase se’x.” The risk of child exploitation increased by 30 to 40 percent during the World Cups in Germany in 2006 and South Africa in 2010, CBS News reported. Experts expect to see a similar trend in Brazil. Amanda, 14, has already had two abortions after exchanging unprotected se’x for a pack of cigarettes or a couple of dollars, she told Time. The teen was exposed to the rough city streets when she was just 5 years old and her grandmother sent her out to sell gum to help support the impoverished family. But Amanda is just one of an estimated 250,000 children who are involved in pro’stitution in Brazil, according to the U.S. State Department. While some underserved girls choose to sell their bodies as a way to make some quick cash, many are often sold into pro’stitution by their parents. Thiago, 27, a former pimp and trafficker, said that he would convince parents to hand over their daughters for somewhere in the $5,000 to $10,000 range, according to Time. “I sought the girls in Recife because there is so much poverty there,” he told the news outlet. “It makes it way easier to convince the girls to come down and pro’stitute themselves.” The Brazilian government allocated 8 million reais, about $3.3 million, to fight the child se’x trade in host cities. But some advocates say that the police aren’t invested in putting an end to child pro’stitution, according to CNN. “[The police] aren’t worried about these children growing up in a healthy environment, with jobs and housing, health and education,” Sister Maria, who’s involved with a group that helps pregnant teens, told CNN. “They’re worried about hiding them.”
Tragic: Brazil’s streets are filled with ‘thousands’ of desperate kids (Photo Credit: SATIRO) To help make a meaningful difference, a number of nonprofits are ramping up their efforts during the World Cup. Together with the UK’s National Crime Agency, Happy Child International, the A21 Campaign, Europol and the Jubilee Campaign have launched “It’s a Penalty” campaign. The initiative aims to raise awareness that having se’x with a minor is a crime and will result in prosecution in either Brazil or the person’s home country. Religious leaders are also joining in the effort. A coalition of 240 religious congregations recently launched “Play For Life, Report Trafficking.” Participants will hand out leaflets at airports and other tourist hubs that encourage people to report child prostitution or enslavement to police, according to CBS. “Without awareness,” Sister Carmen Sammut, president of the International Union of Superiors General, told CBS, “without acting together in favor of human dignity, the World Cup finals may turn out to be a terrible shame instead of a feast for humanity.” By Huffington Post
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