Calling on the Government of Germany to Take Immediate Action to Combat Sex Trafficking in Connection with the 2006 FIFA World Cup; Assistance for Small and Medium Enterprises in Sub-Saharan African Countries Act of 2005; Global Online Freedom Act of 2006; Central Asia Democracy and Human Rights Promotion Act of 2006

Authors

U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations

Date of this Version

2006

Comments

Published by the U.S. Government Printing Office, June 2006.

Abstract

Calling on the Government of Germany to take immediate action to combat sex trafficking in connection with the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and for other purposes.

One of the tragedies of modern day slavery is that so much of the demand for trafficking comes from countries that espouse commitment to human rights. As the world watches the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a showcase of world-class athleticism and teamwork, Germany, despite its professed commitment to fight the abuse and exploitation of women and girls through trafficking, by certain policies it is facilitating and even encouraging, it aids the very crime it professes to abhor.

In December 2001, the German Government legalized prostitution, which is not only inherently harmful and dehumanizing, but also fuels trafficking because it provides a facade behind which traffickers for sexual exploitation operate. The essential legalization of prostitution also places a greater burden on law enforcement as officials try to distinguish ‘‘legal pimps’’ from human traffickers.

In Germany, there are about 400,000 women in prostitution, 75 percent of whom are foreigners. A 2001 report by the Germany Federal Criminal Investigation Office reported that of the 414 women and girls in prostitution that were surveyed, 45 percent were forced into prostitution through violence, torture, rape or intimidation.

Further research conducted by Melissa Farley at Prostitution Research and Education found that 71 percent of women surveyed were physically assaulted while engaged in prostitution and a staggering 89 percent wanted to escape prostitution. Rather than preventing the abuse of women, any kind of legalization of prostitution appears to condone an act that almost half of the time will result in the physical abuse of women.

Regrettably, according to the 2003 U.N. report, Germany is the top destination country for trafficking in women and children for prostitution, with most victims trafficked from the former Soviet republics and Central and Eastern Europe. The German Government should be outraged by this and immediately take a look at their policies which makes Germany such an inviting country for traffickers.

Let me just say, finally, a couple of points. This legislation has 30 cosponsors. It calls on fans, players, and all citizens to boycott the brothels and calls on the Government of Germany to take immediate action to halt state sponsorship of commercial sexual exploitation that leads to sex trafficking of women in connection with the World Cup games.