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A few archived articles

 

World Cup Germany and Sex Trafficking: A Follow-Up
A Problem Resolved, A Problem Lacking, or a Matter of Practicality?

By Jenny Lee, WIFP
August, 2006

Just a little over a month ago, prior to the opening games of the 2006 World Cup, the European Parliament and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women had estimated that over 400,000 women from Eastern Europe would be trafficked into Germany to serve as prostitutes during the global sporting event1. As Germany legalized prostitution in 2002 in order to better working conditions and reduce the stigma behind the industry and its workers2, many had feared that the huge influx of soccer fans into the country would result in a comparably large flood of women from poor neighboring countries to fulfill the “greater demand” for sex. The United States, along with many worldwide anti-sex trafficking and anti-trafficking organizations, as well as an internet petition that generated over 20,000 signatures3, made it very clear that sex trafficking – moreover, prostitution in general – would not be tolerated by much of the world. And, the host country was prepared. The German government had partnered with the National Council of German Women’s Organizations, an umbrella organization of about 55 women’s groups, in a $90,800 awareness campaign. So, how well did the sex trade fare during the 2006 games?

Not very well, according to various reports. Karolina Leppert, president of Germany’s association for sexual service providers, told Yahoo News that, "The pent-up sexual demand of horny fans from around the world which has been widely anticipated has not materialized at all.4” A more official report released on July 4th by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Swedish development agency SIDA “[indicated] little increase in trafficking,” as IOM spokesman Fredric Larsson stated that "We have so far not seen any marked increase in human trafficking from eastern European countries to Germany during the World Cup.5” Moreover, any indication of an increase in prostitution itself was apparent in just one brothel, located in Munich.6

While this is all very clear and simple news to convey, it is interesting to look at the various ways in which different news sources put it across. For instance, the Sex Work Cyber Resource and Support Center, an organization with the mission of “Promoting Intimacy and Positive, Healthy, ConsentingAdult Sexuality,” attributes the minimal increase in sex trafficking to the overall cleanliness and prompt regulation of the legalized trade in Germany, blaming the Bush administration for blowing the numbers out of proportion “to get the emotional response they seek” in rallying people against it. The Center members identify themselves as “liberated Christians,” “[who have] nothing to do with sex workers, but promoting loving intimacy and support for those who find Polyamory more meaningful than traditional monogamy.7”

In contrast, a more traditional Christian site centered around a pro-life stance, www.lifesite.net, attributes the same result to the vast “international public outcry” against sex trafficking and prostitution, and, in particular, the numerous Christian campaigns, including the “massive email campaign” initiated by the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute8. Interestingly enough, in my July article examining the different angles of various news sources regarding the German sex trafficking issue prior to the 2006 games, it was the Christian sources, Vatican Archbishop Agostino Marchetto9 and Father Jonathan Morris10, represented by Fox News in two different articles, who took the opportunity to personally denounce the trade of prostitution and blame the “hypocritical liberals” for not taking on the issue as strongly as they claimed to have done.

A New York Times article appears to take a practical stance on the matter, attributing the lack of sex trafficking and minimal increase in prostitution simply to a lack of interest or convenience for soccer fans. For one, it quotes one of the prostitutes herself, reasoning, “Maybe [potential clients] went out to a pub and drank instead.” Author Oliver Hartung goes on to emphasize the 2006 Cup’s wholesome slogan, “A Time to Make Friends,” which makes for awkward situations when one even considers attending a brothel in the midst of a group gathering. He quotes prostitute Stephanie Klee, who explains that "For most people, it's just too complicated. It's difficult to say to your friends, 'I'm going to leave you now and go to a brothel for 20 minutes.' That's not normal behavior." The article also notes the impact of the anti-sex campaigns and international pressure on the German government, which too appeared to lessen the numbers of clientele. “The police carried out a lot of searches to look for forced prostitutes or women without legal papers," said Ms. Klee. "When clients see police at the brothels, they think that sex work is linked to crime." Hartung concludes the article by stressing the greatest priority of all: the soccer. He writes, “The customers remain passionate about soccer, however, as do the women,” who “stop what they are doing to watch it.” Instead of showing pornographic films as usual, the Artemis Theater is reserved for live games. And everyone is caughtup in the games, including prostitutes like Luna, who "cried when Serbia lost 6-0 to Argentina.”

With these strikingly different takes on one simple result, it is understandable why the issue of German prostitution is still being debated. Who is to say that it is solely the anti-prostitution stance of the United States and Christian organizations all over the world that has held down the numbers of trafficking and clientele during the World Cup? Would it then be reasonable to oppose all forms of prostitution – legal or not? Or could it be that the legalization and regulation of the trade have rendered many of the problems null? Could it be a matter of practicality, when fathers and businessmen choose to stay out of the brothels out of respect for others in their company or to avoid crime? Or could soccer itself be the major diverting force against prostitution? For more thought-provoking commentary on the issue, be sure to read the articles and sites cited here, or access my July piece on sex trafficking prior to the games at http://www.wifp.org/VoicesforMediaDemocracy.html.

Original Article:
Who Knew It Existed? Who Does The Media Want You To Blame?
What Women's Media Offers That Mainstream News Doesn't

By Jenny Lee, WIFP
July 2006

This summer, World Cup Fever has hit the world, and the news media are making it loud, clear and overwhelmingly positive -- perhaps a bit too positive. Headlines such as “British Bobbies Charm Frankfurt1” and “Win Keeps The Pub Happy2” put the German-hosted tournament in a joyous, good-natured light. In glamorizing the most popular sporting event in the world, however, most news media are reluctant to expose its most disheartening social and economic consequences – namely, the estimated 40,000 women who will be sex-trafficked into a nation where prostitution is legal and another 400,000 women are already employed in the profitable industry3. How was I able to find these statistics amidst such all-around upbeat coverage? Not from any mainstream news media, but from women’s news media, specifically Women’s eNews.

In 2005, a sizeable $6.5 million brothel was built just down the street from the Berlin stadium. While the owners have denied its relation to the expected sporting event, the project's attorney, Norman Jacob, was later quoted as saying "football and sex belong together.4" Jacob did not hesitate to brag about his upscale brothel, adorned with plush curtains, leopard-print cushions, and exorbitant amounts of gold, telling Spiegel Online reporters that the non-traditional atmosphere is also great for the prostitutes. Not only are each of them allowed to keep all their profits, unlike in traditional brothels, but "[they] can go into the sauna or the swimming pool, get food and non-alcoholic drinks for free. [They] can even spend the night here and just sleep. And if [they] ha[ve] sex [they] earn[] money." Still, even Katharina Cetin of the Berlin-based prostitute support group Hydra, who praises the prostitute-friendly environment, warns that it is "too soon to judge the actual working conditions." Taking into account the thousands of women to be illegally trafficked into Germany would undoubtedly make the reality of this and other brothels much more bleak.

What has been done to prevent the anticipated illegal trafficking? The National Council of German Women’s Organizations, an umbrella organization of about 55 women’s groups, has partnered with the German government and embarked on a $90,800 awareness campaign. In its 2006 human trafficking report released in June, the U.S. State Department ranked Germany as a Tier 1 nation – one of the most successful in combating human trafficking. However, the mere fact that prostitution is legal in the nation, coupled with the new $6.5 million brothel and the lower, Tier 2 rankings of Russia and the neighboring Czech Republic – the two major countries from which women are believed to be trafficked – do not provide a positive outlook for the upcoming Cup. Still, many, including Zita Gurmai, a Hungarian member of the European Parliament and chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, see the 2006 World Cup as an occasion “to raise public awareness about the existence of human trafficking and forced prostitution, all over the world and all over the year."

According to Women’s eNews, other anti-sex trafficking organizations include the more radical Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, which likens the German campaign to “an ethical John’s program…that certifies some women as usable and others not.” According to the organization’s co-executive director, Janice Raymond, "Our message is that sex is not a sport under any circumstances." La Strada, an anti-trafficking organization based on Prague, agrees with Raymond’s message, but also asserts that, “Human trafficking is not a sport under any circumstances.” Its members are disappointed that the German campaign “missed a chance to broaden awareness of human trafficking…beyond prostitution…[involving] people forced into various kinds of work.” National coordinator Petra Burcikova asserts that yes, “On one hand, the campaign is good because you hear about trafficking,” but "On the other hand, you don't hear about the other forms of trafficking. All people walk away with is: 'Trafficking equals prostitution. Good. We were right.'… If we talk about forced labor, it concerns everyone." The German parliamentarian Groener, who emphasizes the importance of unity of all anti-trafficking groups behind the campaign, offered a counterargument, stating, “I want really not to split powers. I want to join powers to fight modern slavery.”  

Overall, I am left not only angry about the lack of media focus on the anticipated sex trafficking, but in deep thought about the issues raised and the viewpoints with which I most closely identify. How can we inform the men without giving them an easy way out? Should we target sex trafficking exclusively? Would that undermine other forms of human trafficking, as Burcikova argues? Curious about what the general public – the people who do not normally access women'smedia – has been hearing about the 2006 games, I decided to take a look at a few mainstream news sites to see how they contribute to – or detract from – this pressing issue.

Turning to BBC International News, I find with optimism that the largest broadcasting corporation in the world has mentioned the issue in a relatively comprehensive series of articles. However, these articles generally depict illegal sex trafficking and prostitution as light, even trivial issues. The most recent one to date, titled “Germany Braced for World Cup Influx5,” briefly talks about sex trafficking in a mere six sentences, claiming that Germany’s interior ministry is doing what it can, but believes that the estimated figures of women to be illegally trafficked are “much too high.” According to a skeptical ministry source, “It is hard to organize prostitution for four weeks. You need years to plan and build an operation.” He added that “no special measures [are] being planned at German borders.” Interestingly enough, the article conveys the German ministry’s most prominent concern to be that of illegal immigration, a trade that would surely be unable to yield for the nation the hefty profits that prostitution produces.

In an essay that delves deeper into the prostitution industry, BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell leads us through an interview with a German brothel owner6. Mardell’s words, however, are alarmingly light-hearted and strike me as rather insolent as the story goes on. Taking us through a night on the town, he tells us, “One doorman offers me all sorts of services that don't usually go with the price of a beer if I enter his club. As I move away smiling inanely and shaking my head he shouts after me. ‘The girls are Norwegian’. I'm not knocking Norway but I don't quite see why this is meant to have special allure.” Mardell then goes on about those prostitutes who seem to enjoy their job, describing a blonde woman "sitting on a large leather sofa, dressed pretty normally apart from outsized ankle bracelets, black and studded with fake diamonds,” and declares them “a challenge to society.” Comparing them to women who are trafficked for sex, he places far more blame on “women choosing, because of economic pressure, to work as prostitutes” because of their greater “challenge to society’s ethics.” Here, I see two major faults: firstly, the all-too-common practice of blaming the prostitutes without considering the system – run by men – that perhaps enslaves them; and secondly, the fact that Mardell, a non-German himself, is narrowly imposing his own culture's notions of morality onto another. I am also left suspicious as to why BBC chose this man in particular to interview the German brothel owner. Did they have a particular, patronizing stance that they wanted to take on the issue, and perhaps on the Germans, prior to the interview?

In a slightly more objective news article from CNN, “U.S. Warns Germany on World Cup Sex Workers,7" the U.S.’s stance on prostitution is compared with Germany’s defense of its policy of legalized prostitution. The article reviews the U.S. State Department's 2006 report on global human trafficking and cites Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's denunciation of "the sordid trade in human beings," the fight against which she declares "a great moral calling of our time." The U.S. specifically denounces Germany as a "source, transit and destination country for sex workers and other victims of exploitation," and has warned that other countries that fail to crack down on their own human trafficking would be "subject to a variety of sanctions, including the withholding of some kinds of U.S. foreign aid." In the next section, the article touches on the German view on legalized prostitution and its own condemnation of human trafficking. CNN reports that only after Rep. Christopher Smith, R-New Jersey, chairman of the House subcommittee on global human rights, demanded that Germany recriminalize prostitution or else be classified as an "egregious violator" of human rights, did the German government affirm its stance against forced prostitution. According to the German Embassy in Washington, German federal officials have been "working closely with regional authorities and nongovernment organizations, to combat trafficking and forced prostitution." Despite this quote, the article fails to mention the government’s $90,800 campaign against illegal sex trafficking. It merely states that the German government has denied Smith's claims that it is directly helping to build these brothels, while acknowledging Norman Jacobs' new 40-bedroom brothel in Berlin and the fact that its manager predicted that business could double or triple during the World Cup. More factual than BBC yet less comprehensive than Women's eNews, CNN appears to strongly favor the United States, notably in pitting it directly against the German government in this article. It seems to give more credence to U.S.-compiled statistics and reports over Germany’s, as well asbeing self-congratulatory on the U.S.’s “moral superiority.” Perhaps this is understandable, due to its reliance on the U.S. State Department's 2006 human trafficking report -- or perhaps in relation to the fact that the cable news network gets its news from the Associated Press, an American news cooperative that serves over 1,700 newspapers across the nation and has been accused of monopolizing the news industry8, and is owned by Time Warner, a U.S. company which also happens to be the largest media corporation in the world9.

While CNN rates as the #1 U.S. cable news network in terms of cumulative ratings, FOX News surpasses it in terms of long-term viewers. Importantly, both networks get their news stories from the Associated Press. And, notably a right-wing news network, it appears less than coincidental that FOX’s two sole articles covering World Cup sex trafficking rely on fellow conservatives, namely a Vatican Archbishop's and a priest’s condemnation of prostitution in general. At first glance, I find with disappointment that the headline "Vatican Archbishop: World Cup Prostitutes Cheapen Dignity of Women,10" uses language that, once again, places blame on the prostitutes. According to this word usage, it is not the patriarchy's institution of prostitution or even the trade itself that cheapens the dignity of women, but the prostitutes themselves -- as if all female prostitutes choose their profession and strive to actively cheapen the dignity of their gender. When blame is centered on the prostitutes, it pits women against each other and further weakens their ability to fight the literally man-made system that first imposed prostitution and sexual inequalities. In fact, the Fox headline itself expresses the very same shallow and sexist sentiment that Mark Mardell portrays in his BBC essay. The remainder of the FOX article repetitively conveys Archbishop Agostino Marchetto's disgust at the institution of prostitution, without any indication of intent for action, excepting his lame recommendation that “‘red flags’ should be given to this industry, to its clients and to the public authorities who host the event."

The other FOX news article, an editorial written by Father Jonathan Morris11, similarly conveys disgust at the trade of prostitution, and too presents a surface, patronizing view of the situation. By posing the question "Where are the real feminists when we need them?" and suggesting that governments led by "liberated" women like Germany's chancellor, Angel Merkel, are hypocritical, Father Morris ignores the 55 women's groups that have joined together under theNational Council of Women's Organizations, and who have partnered with the German government towards its $90,800 awareness campaign. He overlooks important organizations like Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and La Strada, both cited in the Women's eNews article as players in the fight against sex trafficking. Too quick to blame "hypocritical" liberals, he too presents himself as arrogant and ethnocentric as BBC writer Mark Mardell, both vying to be the first to recognize the issue, deem it an atrocity, and criticize whatever they deem the root of blame. What's more outrageous, the same news media's Sports section features an entire site dedicated to World Cup coverage that offers a gallery of "Babes of the World Cup,12" under the headline "It's not called the "Beautiful Game" for nothing...alluring aficionados of the fairer sex invade Germany for a chance to grab a little bit of the spotlight for themselves." As if the theme of sex in sports wasn't prominent enough. 

Granted, these articles are only a few of the many that could now be available regarding the issue of World Cup sex trafficking. However, at the time of my search -- the very week that the games commenced, these were among the most prominent. All in all, I found that one women’s news media site - Women's eNews - was by itself far more comprehensive and unbiased in both its language and its coverage than the other three mainstream news media networks (BBC, CNN, and FOX) combined. This says something about the nature of the mainstream news media, from whom it gathers support, and its powerful influence on how people construe different issues and to whom they attribute blame. My hope is simply that the next time you encounter a headline like “Win Keeps The Pub Happy" or “World Cup Prostitutes Cheapen Dignity of Women," you would be sure to reexamine the rhetoric of the piece and search out what the real issue is,instead of letting the news media gladly do that part for you. Perhaps turning to women's news media is the first step.

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For input on the issue presented by individuals unmarred by the global media giants, take a look at some online blogs…
Lynne Miles at The F-Word
            http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2006/may
Vanessa at Feministing.com
            http://feministing.com/archives/005188.html
feministblogs.org
            http://feministblogs.org/tag/world-cup/
Weblogs at freespeech.org
            http://weblogs.freespeech.org/kzydek/?p=37
Rebecca Graber's BlogSpot
            http://balkin.blogspot.com/2006/06/sex-traffic-at-world-cup.html
The Stop Violence Against Women (SVAW) blog at AmnestyUSA.org.
            http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/svaw
MoJo Blog at motherjones.com
            http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2006/03/trafficking_and.html
The Captive Diaries blog at CaptiveDaughters.org
            http://captivedaughters.org/2006/03/sex-trafficking-at-world-c_114229337544052663.html
Kate Connolly at telegraph.co.uk
            http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/foreign/kateconnolly/may06/europesbiggestbrothel.htm
Mark West at slaw.ca
            http://www.slaw.ca/2006/06/09/world-cup-law/
Simon Black at zmag.org
            http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=10427

 

 

Alliance of Iranian Women: June 8th Congressional Breakfast

By Jordon Conn, WIFP

Manda Ervin, founder and President of the Alliance of Iranian Women, spoke Wednesday, June 8th (2005) at a Congressional Breakfast about a situation in Iran. She began with a photograph of the Suffragettes, an Iranian women's right group founded in 1929, that effectively worked to bring equality to Iran although 1979 did away with almost everything they worked for. Now gender apartheid is widespread and successfully silencing female voices. Laws that set the female marriage age at nine, the prohibition of female divorce in any circumstance (although men can divorce their wives at any time and without their knowledge), and temporary marriages which last anywhere between 30 minutes and a year, are prime examples of gender inequality. The temporary marriages, a form of legalized prostitution, has resulted in a million homeless children without names, birth certificates, and many with HIV and an overall young population (the average age is 21).

Sex trafficking of women and children has also become widespread with clients from surrounding countries and Europe. Ms. Ervin displayed a website that sold children as young as 4 for $45,000 as sex slaves that read "great deal" in Farsi. Professor Donna Hughes of the University of Rhode Island explained that the regime has an intense hatred of women which results in repression, projection, exploitation, and severely criminalizes victims. Many women are stoned to death, lashed, or hung for "prostitution" or known in the West as rape or incest. Sexual vulnerability and general lack of freedom has been the cause of high female suicide rates in Iran, amongst the highest in the world. The Alliance says, "this is not about simple violation of human rights of the people, it's about the most violent, cruel, inhuman acts of genocide by a barbaric group of People."

Professor Elahe Enssani of San Francisco University also spoke Wednesday about her documentary of Iranian youth. She reports that many young adults see death as a way out and feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. The Alliance of Iranian Women writes that, "Our goal is to see that the struggle of young Iranians for freedom and democracy succeeds and 50 million dreams turn into reality." Yet the path to freedom is unsteady at best. At the Senate building Ms. Ervin suggested lobbying, putting pressure on international organizations like the UN, and advocated for conferences and symposiums to track women and children. On December 3rd, 2003, however, Ms. Ervin was more vocal about who and what was to blame for the regime. On Iran Watch, she said that, "The European countries, which have spoken constantly about the importance of human rights, have only followed their own financial interests in Iran. The regime in Tehran has signed agreements with the Europeans that would never be tolerated in a democracy. Consequently, European governments have done their best to keep the mullahs in power. The Iranian government is a dictatorship that has less to do with ideology than the pursuit of profit. The most effective course for the United States is to support the people of Iran and human rights there." While Ms. Ervin was not explicit at the breakfast, it is suspected that she has turned more to the U.S. for support over European countries.

Supporting human rights in Iran has been difficult with the "elections" scheduled for this Thursday, June 17th. In speaking of the current Iranian president she points out that "Hashemi-Rafsanjani has made himself a candidate for the president for the third time, and no doubt he will miraculously be elected by a large number, despite the fact that the elections are boycotted by the people. On the city walls, busses, telephone booths and trees the people spray paint: no to election; yes to referendum or the election has been boycotted by the Iranian people an many other sloganspeople do not seem to believe that he will bring about change." She repeated her sentiments the day after the Congressional Breakfast to a Cold War committee that monitored human rights in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the Helsinki Commission. She said she was going "to talk about how teachers, young students, bus drivers are doing small things in protest. There is not a huge high-profile uprising yet, but every day there are smaller uprisings."

Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State offered a $3 million non-government advance towards human rights in Iran and was backed by Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas and Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. Each Senator said that Iran had had "enough" in Persian and hoped that they could do more as the people are making small uprisings. Ms. Ervin said that a protest against gender apartheid and sexual discrimination organized by popular poet Simin Behbahani was to be held at the University of Tehran for Sunday, June 12th. Although reports out of Australia, the UK, Iran, and the U.S. vary, over 200 women protested and it was the first time women have gathered in protest since 1979. Unfortunately there have been some reports of violence although nothing has been confirmed.

The Alliance of Iranian Women, particularly Manda Ervin, has done an inspiring job of keeping Iranian women's right on the table. Although many Americans, Europeans, and Iranians have tried to raise their voice, only the election on Thursday will really be able to tell if real change will occur soon. While we should expect another re-election, there is no doubt that the Alliance will continue to do their part.

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A Celebration of the Life and Work of Andrea Dworkin

A Celebration of the Life and Work of Andrea Dworkin was held Wednesday, May 25, 2005 at 6 p.m. at the New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street hosted by The Wolfson Center for National Affairs

Donations in honor of Andrea Dworkin's life and work can be made to

The Schlesinger Library
The Andrea Dworkin Funds
Radcliffe Institute
10 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-3600

Or to the domestic-violence shelter or rape-crisis center of your choice.

 

For links to internet memorials, tributes and radio show click on the links below:

"Imagining Life Without Andrea," By John Stoltenberg, a transcript of his extemporaneous speech to the Take Back the Night Rally Honoring Andrea Dworkin sponsored by the DC Rape Crisis Center, Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C., April 30, 2005: http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/andreadworkin.html

http://www.andreadworkin.net/memorial

http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/sfvo/dworkin.html

http://www.mediawatch.com/news.html

http://www.now.org/history/dworkin.html

http://www.feminista.com/

Donna Allen, Martha Allen, and Andrea Dworkin after the performance "Freed Speech" on October 9, 1998, held at the New School for Social Research in New York.

The staged reading of voices from the first public hearings on pornography and civil rights was produced by John Stoltenberg.

Testimonies are published in the book In Harms Way, the Pornography Civil Rights Hearings (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997).

 

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