As World Cup nears, know what human trafficking is and what to do about it
As the World Cup in Atlanta approaches, many of us are prepared for crowded stores, busy restaurants and traffic jams.
But there’s something insidious that might get ignored in the hustle and bustle of the city — the everyday trafficking of human beings.
As opposed to what sensationalized media might have you believe, trafficking is not just bringing someone from another country against their will, or illegally crossing state lines, or keeping someone tied up for work.
Trafficking also includes the 14-year-old boy who ran away from the suburbs, whose older girlfriend later encouraged him to have sex for money. It includes the worker who toils without appropriate compensation because his boss threatens his family.
It may seem like a bizarre and foreign concept, but it is happening every day, right in our backyards. As an emergency medicine doctor in Atlanta, I have seen it all.
Ignore the stereotypes
Human trafficking is defined by the Trafficking Victims Protections Act of 2000 as the recruitment or harboring of individuals by the means of force, fraud or coercion, for the purpose of monetary or non-monetary gain.
Force, fraud or coercion do not have to be proven in the case of minors. With this definition, the stereotypes start to fall apart. Trafficking does not have to include crossing borders, forceful kidnapping, the exchange of money or even sexual activity.
Labor trafficking makes up more than two-thirds of cases of human trafficking and is unfortunately much less researched and much less identified. Forced labor is not just limited to rural farms and “sweat shops,” it happens in busy cities just like ours.
Despite its prevalence, trafficking is a “hidden crime,” making it difficult to study. It is therefore unclear whether large sporting events like the World Cup actually increase the rates of sex trafficking.
Despite the lack of compelling data, sex trafficking during sporting events is often exaggerated and sensationalized, recycling unsubstantiated data. Whether embellishment or pure fabrication, this reporting is quite dangerous.
Hyperfocus without true understanding or appropriate training leads to poor decisions, often hurting the same people we want to protect. It also detracts from the fact that sex trafficking is occurring every day. Furthermore, fixation on sex trafficking leads to disregard of labor trafficking preceding and during these events.
Labor trafficking during sporting events occurs in two main phases — during construction and during hosting (hospitality and service sectors).
Investigations into the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar revealed many instances of forced labor. Confiscation of passports, debt bondage, wage theft and lack of safety protections were a few hallmark indicators for labor trafficking.
How Atlanta is preparing itself
Now for the good news:
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the first ever to have a mandatory Human Rights Framework imposed on host city committees. And so, the United States, and Atlanta, have made this a priority.
Earlier this year, Atlanta City Council launched ATL26 Human Rights Action Plan, led by the mayor’s office.
It includes four pillars:
- Inclusion and safeguarding
- Worker’s rights
- Access to remedy
- Accountability and monitoring.
Within these pillars are protections including establishing a $17.50/hour minimum wage for all FIFA-related employment and creating a grievance reporting portal. They also include legacy impact initiatives, such as enrolling youth in leadership programs, programming LGBTQ+ community events, and training 1,000-plus people in trafficking prevention.
Here’s what you can do to help
Let’s not pat ourselves on the back just yet. There is a still lot that we can do on an individual level. Here are three places you can start:
- Lose the stereotypes — educate yourself and others. Remember that trafficking exists in the every day, not just during big events.
- Be ready to help. Focus on “rights, not rescue.” The goal is to respect someone’s autonomy and rights, not to “rescue” them from their situation. Have the human trafficking hotline (1-888-373-7888) ready to share. Unless you are a trained professional or a mandated reporter, don’t call the police unless someone asks you to or unless you see someone in imminent danger.
- Support a local organization: Tapestri and Wellspring Living are two organizations dedicated to ending violence and oppression within this sector.
You might feel like anything you do is just a drop in the ocean of a very large problem. Human trafficking is an issue pervading every social class, every country, every system; a problem that has existed long before Atlanta became a host city; and a reality that will continue after our city decongests. But every small contribution adds up, and just one open door can change the course of someone’s life forever.
Dr. Sheri-Ann Kaltiso is an emergency medicine physician in Atlanta, with a passion for the underserved and vulnerable.
Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to letters@ajc.com.
