By Anna Záborská is chair of the European parliament's women's committee - 11th June 2006
Fifa president Sepp Blatter should stop hiding behind legal niceties and publicly condemn forced prostitution, says Anna Záborská MEP.
If you were to ask me what has struck me the most so far in the debate on the World Cup in Germany, it would be the response given by Fifa President, Sepp Blatter, on the issue of forced prostitution in Germany.
In his one-page statement, he hides behind legal arguments and diplomatic niceties: “Fifa, as the sporting body responsible for football, is not able to control what happens outside the stadiums, nor does it have the power or the jurisdiction to do so.
Politically and legally speaking, we are not allowed to intervene in the sovereignty of a country and its decisions and we must respect national legal systems and international conventions... As football’s supreme body, Fifa honours publicly the social responsibilities conferred on it by its statute”.
Fine, we get the message. No further comment. While the head of world football refuses to condemn, even symbolically, the trafficking of women and forced prostitution, a mega brothel has opened in Berlin to cater for 3000 clients.
And as long as Blatter does not condemn them openly and publicly, one must assume that he acknowledges their existence. After all, isn’t it true that in the masculine world that football and sex go hand in hand?
I am therefore very happy that the Council of Europe’s convention on action against trafficking in human beings was adopted by the committee of ministers on May 3 2005 and subsequently opened for signature in Warsaw on May 16 2005 at the third summit of heads of state and government of the Council of Europe.
This convention is a comprehensive treaty, focussing mainly on protecting victims of trafficking and safeguarding their rights: in other words, it aims both to applies to all forms of trafficking – both national and trans-national – irrespective of whether it is related to organised crime or not.
It applies to all victims, women, men and children and to all forms of exploitation, sexual, forced labour, services and more. It also provides for the setting-up of an independent monitoring mechanism to guarantee that parties comply with its provisions.
At the European parliament, we currently have two excellent initiatives by my MEP colleagues Hiltrud Breyer and Christa Prets. Hiltrud Breyer was the very first member of my committee to draw parliament’s attention to this issue.
As a result we were able to hold an in-depth debate on forced prostitution on International Women’s Day on March 8, to which a number of European commissioners attended. Blatter however, declined to take part.
Christa Prets wrote a report on strategies to prevent trafficking of women and children vulnerable to sexual exploitation, which was adopted unanimously by the parliament’s women’s committee. The report calls on member states, especially Germany, to take appropriate measures in the course of the World Cup football tournament in 2006 to prevent trafficking of women and forced prostitution.
At the plenary session in Strasbourg this week, we will ask an oral question to the commission as an opportunity to debate possible measures to combat trafficking and forced prostitution at major sporting events.
What special measures have the commission already implemented or does it intend to implement to address the problem of forced prostitution in relation to the World Cup? Have any awareness-raising campaigns been developed at EU level? What cooperation has there been with NGOs? Has Germany informed the commission of the measures it intends to take to help victims of trafficking?
Has the commission taken any relevant measures together with Europol? Has the commission examined practical options for the launch of an EU anti-trafficking policy? What measures has the commission taken with the German authorities and other member states to alert embassies and consulates in the matter of forced prostitution?
It is unacceptable that the German government should devote so little attention to this issue. It shows that, as long as men do not believe that improving conditions for women will lead to a higher level of well-being for society as a whole, the women’s cause is not yet won.
Prostitution would not be possible without clients. The clients are men. Once again we find ourselves asking to what extent we should continue to put emphasis on policies that favour the role of men. Equality between men and women does not just concern women. The “client” needs more than social condemnation and having to face the full rigours of the law.
Clients must also be helped to face their deeper problems and to find other ways of dealing with their personal needs. Buying sex from prostitutes does not solve problems that arise from loneliness, frustration or a lack of true relationships
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