Olympics 2012: Sporting Triumph or Human Tragedy?

The 2012 Olympics is billed as one of the greatest sporting events the nation has hosted for decades. Yet beneath the gloss and glamour of this international athletics consist is a darker side. Hidden far away from the limelight, innocent women will be being sold for sex on the streets of London.

Historically, major sporting events attract an influx in human trafficking, not just tourists. The 2004 Athens Olympics saw a shocking 95 per cent rise in trafficking. The rate of trafficking and prostitution also remained higher after the event.

The signs for the London Games are ominous. The Police and local authorities have reported a sharp increase in prostitution in the five London Boroughs near to the main Olympic site since work began on the stadium. Demand for sex is already high with the presence of 10 000 construction workers. many fear the Olympics will be targeted by criminal gangs from Eastern Europe hoping to strike gold and make it rich from the increase in tourism.

Hope for Justice’s director of legal, Phillipa Roberts, believes that now is the time to act to prevent human tragedy.

The statistics show that trafficking and major sporting events can go hand in hand. Careful planning and a well thought out prevention strategy are vital to protect victims. For the 2006 World Cup the host nation had an anti-trafficking strategy which was well-resourced and this helped to contain the problem. Unfortunately, in the UK resources to combat trafficking are scarce. Despite the upcoming Olympics, in April 2010 the UK’s only Police unit specialising in investigating trafficking cases was shut down due to a lack of funding.

Phillipa firmly believes that raising awareness of the issue not just in Parliament, but also in the tourism trade is vital.

It is important that people are well informed about trafficking and know how to spot the signs. It needs highlighting in the tourism industry, hotels and restaurants to ensure that both sex trafficking and any incidences of forced domestic labour are identified and reported. Airports are another place where awareness needs to be raised because they are key entry points for many trafficking victims.

Hope for Justice plan to campaign on this issue with the ACTFORJUSTICE Groups, to ensure that this expected rise in trafficking due to the Olympics is brought to the attention of MPs. We will also be involved in advocacy work alongside other non-governmental organisations and the Police to ensure the Olympic Committee has a suitable preventative strategy in place. We need to work together to ensure that the 2012 Olympics leave a lasting and positive sporting legacy for the UK, not one that is tarnished by trafficking and paid for with innocent lives.