From 26 July to 11 August 2024, the world will be watching spellbound as the Summer Olympic Games are held in Paris. But while the eyes of the public are trained on the sporting achievements and spectacular productions, another, more disturbing question was emerging: does such a major sporting event produce an increase in prostitution and human trafficking?
Human trafficking in the spotlight: how major events are fuelling the increase
The French government and a range of organisations are now working on the assumption that human trafficking will increase during the Olympics. This assumption is based on the expectation of increased demand for sexual services from the numerous tourists. The manager at the Central Office for Combating Human Trafficking for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation has also feared an increase in demand during the Olympics. Violence against prostitutes increases simultaneously alongside this increase. It is also warned that prostitution of under-age children could increase in the socially disadvantaged banlieues to the north of Paris. Visitors’ attention is brought to this using a range of brochures and other informational materials, and people are encouraged to report suspicious activities. As this year’s European Football Championship has already shown, prostitution rises during such major events. As well as this, the simplicity of use offered during the digital age, when a single click suffices to support human trafficking and prostitution, contributes significantly to the increase in such activities.
The role of the internet
The way prostitution occurs has changed in recent years. Where organised criminal networks were active on the streets of cities in the past, the business has increasingly moved onto the internet. An investigator from the Association for Combating Prostitution (BRP) in Paris explains that all logistics in the process, from booking the room right through to transporting the women, are now dealt with online, a trend which makes it harder for the authorities to maintain an overview and protect prostitutes. Digitalisation has not just simplified access to these services, but also increased the anonymity of the clients. Although tightened-up laws introduced in France in 2016 do criminalise the use of sex work, the problem remains broadly hidden. Despite the ability of the media to work against human trafficking, the French laws and easy online handling are worsening the situation of prostitutes, who are now increasingly being driven underground and consequently becoming more vulnerable to exploitation and violence than ever.
Invisible clients
A German-Swedish survey published in 2023 shows that, while a significant proportion of men in Germany have experience of prostitution, very few will ever admit this openly. This invisibility is a key aspect of sexual exploitation, as it enables clients to continue their actions in the shadows. For this reason, the law introduced in France, which makes purchasing sex a punishable offence, is not sufficient, since most clients act in the shadows and cannot easily be tracked. Activist Elly Arrow documents in client fora how men unashamedly report on their experiences with prostitutes, including under-age children. Although these clients are often aware they are part of an exploitative system, fear of social attention and legal consequences stop them from changing their behaviour.
Repression rather than protection: the French answer to the problem
In the run-up to the Olympic Games, the French government enacted a range of measures in an effort to prepare the City of Paris for the world stage. These measures, described as “social cleansing” by critics, are targeted towards immigrants, the homeless and prostitutes. The police are proceeding hard against these “undesired” residents, without factoring in their wellbeing in the process. In the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games, one French charitable organisation reported how the police presence had risen, and that checks on the identities of the prostitutes had increased. According to these charitable organisations, this repression not only endangers the safety and well-being of prostitutes in France, but also disguises the actual origins of this increase in human trafficking.
Airbnb in the struggle against human trafficking
As part of the preparations for the Olympic Games, Airbnb reached an agreement with the French authorities to fight prostitution and human trafficking. Airbnb plays a core role in tourism, and undertook to prevent the use of its accommodation for procuring sex. Although such incidents are rare, Airbnb considers cooperating with the authorities to be a crucial step in the struggle against the exploitation of people during such an important event. In doing so, Airbnb focuses on strict measures to ensure the platform is not abused for human trafficking, exemplifying how possible it is to proceed effectively against human trafficking and prostitution by acting together.
United against exploitation
The rises in prostitution and human trafficking during major events such as the Olympic Games are serious threats which can never be ignored. Such phenomena are not unavoidable by-products of global events, but the result of exploitation and a lack of effective protective measures for the weakest in our society. The ease with which such services can be accessed digitally today only intensifies the problem, increasing the risk for countless people, first and foremost the women and children forced into these brutal networks. For this reason, the media are essential in sensitising the general public. Also important are protective measures of the government in question which don’t simply corner this group of victims, but offer them safety. An approach based on prevention, protection and support could be more successful in the long term than merely enacting laws that just move the problem underground.
Translated by Tim Lywood
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