Panics Without Borders: How Global Sporting Events Drive Myths about Sex TraffickingWe are living in a time of great panic about “sex trafficking”—an idea whose meaning has been expanded beyond any real usefulness by evangelicals, conspiracy theorists, anti-prostitution feminists, and politicians with their own agendas. This is especially visible during events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games, when claims circulate that as many as 40,000 women and girls will be sex trafficked. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Brazil as well as interviews with sex workers, policymakers, missionaries, and activists in Russia, Qatar, Japan, the UK, and South Africa, Gregory Mitchell shows that despite baseless statistical claims to the contrary, sex trafficking never increases as a result of these global mega-events—but police violence against sex workers always does. While advocates have long decried this myth, Mitchell follows the discourse across host countries to ask why this panic so easily embeds during these mega-events. What fears animate it? Who profits? He charts the move of sex trafficking into the realm of the spectacular—street protests, awareness-raising campaigns, telenovelas, social media, and celebrity spokespeople—where it then spreads across borders. This trend is dangerous because these events happen in moments of nationalist fervor during which fears of foreigners and migrants are heightened and easily exploited to frightening ends. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
activists actually anti asked awareness began believe Black bodies Brazil Brazilian brothel called campaigns cause celebrities child cities claims clients countries create cultural described discourse Duke University evangelical explained exploitation fact fans feminist FIFA fight forced foreign girls Global gringos groups Human Human Rights Human Trafficking industry International It’s June labor living looking means migrant moral panic move movement never NGOs notes Olympics organizations police political Press Project prostitution protests Qatar question racial radical raising rape rescue sex trafficking sex workers sexual slave slavery social South spectacle sporting events stories street term tion tourists turn United University victims violence watch woman women World Cup writes York young