Sex, Crime und ›richtige Männer‹: Frauenhandelsmythen zur WM 2006

Discourses on forced prostitution, trafficking in women, and football: a comparison of anti‐trafficking campaigns during the World Cup 2006 and the European Championship 2008

“…More than 40,000 people visited the campaign website, many of whom were redirected by links from sex sites whose owners supported the campaign. 34 The campaign was developed by the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi; Heide Simonis, chair of the German committee for UNICEF, held the patronage of the campaign, which was supported by a very heterogeneous spectrum of counselling centres. 35 The campaign distinguished legal and voluntary prostitution from services that are rendered involuntarily.…”

“…In particular, it demands residence and work permits that are independent of a testimony in criminal proceedings, the so-called 'Italian model.' 46 Ban Ying's campaign addressed customers and gave information on what to do in the case of suspected force. The activists got involved into the media debate 47 and made it explicit that their aim was to combat trafficking, but not prostitution.…”

“…Because of the mixing and often-interchangeable use of the notions 'trafficking in women', 'smuggling' and 'forced prostitution', prostitution was represented as mostly connected to crime, and migrant sex workers were equated with the victims of trafficking. 54 Thus, prostitution continues to be stigmatized by using the prefix 'forced'.…”

“…Moreover, a racist discourse was evoked: the way in which the media took up the issue insinuated that the trafficked prostitutes came from the 'East' and disturbed the 'friendly encounter of the nations' in the West. Thus, the German campaigns deployed a xenophobic subtext with reference to trafficking networks and prostitutes from 'the East', 56 contributing to the ongoing struggle over a more restrictive immigration law. Ban Ying stated that during the championship raids in brothels were intensified nationwide, with the result that prostitutes without residence documents were deported.…”