Prostitution: Wimpish job, dear ministers!

What one does not write in these tourist supplements and sport pages is that, besides being able to see the players kick the ball into the goal, one, the male fans will be able to catch a quickie between and after the matches. If they need to celebrate a victory or find comfort after a defeat, they will have open access to female bodies. The idea that sport and the sexual ab/use of women go hand in hand is obviously quite a widespread concept. “Football and sex go together”, said to the newspapers DN on 11 November 2005 Norman Jakob, the lawyer of the investment company that will build a part of the required new brothels. The excitement requires relief. Fast, simple and accessible. Even simpler than the purchase of the tickets.

Germany, the land that allows prostitution without scruples, is building mega-brothels with rooms that can accommodate up to one hundred prostituting women at the same time. But that is not enough, fast shopping will also be available. "Performance boxes", as the newly manufactured car-port-like boxes, supplied with condoms and fast food machines are called, will finally cement the perception of the male sexuality being unquestionably uncontrollable. Immediate satisfaction of the sexual needs, at the very moments and spot, is the basic point of view!

Many German women’s organisations together with the Swedish organisations raised an alarm [1]. The arrival of approximately 30.000 to 100.000 women is expected, primarily from the Baltic countries, lured to Germany in the belief of getting work as for example waitresses. In reality, most of them will be forced into prostitution. This is actually the huge trafficking-situation. Trafficking is a trade in human bodies for sexual exploitation, a modern slave trade, and it is forbidden even in Germany. The whole preparation of the sex industry just before the World Championship is actually an open preparation for gross criminal offences.

With this in mind, the Minister of Gender Equality and Minister of Sports in Sweden have been questioned by me, as well as by others. Their reply has been the same as in the article published in the daily Aftonbladet on 29 December last year: "We condemn this!" and "You should follow our example!"

Really? And then? What happens after? Well, after everything proceeds as before. What we get is just a lame reaction of responsible politicians. Of course it is good that the Ministers condemn; but any other reaction different from that would be absolutely unacceptable. Can anyone imagine that they answer a question in the parliament or write an article in the newspapers in which they state that they are supporting what is going on?! They write in Aftonbladet: "We are of an opinion that Swedish men/…./, independently if they are in Sweden or abroad, shall not support an industry that humiliates, exploits or offends women." Aha, but how shall the ministers control this? And is it ok that non-Swedish men do it? Is it alright that the whole EU is turning a blind eye on these preparations for criminal activities that lead to, as the ministers themselves define "slave trade, disgraceful for our time"?!

The self obvious political response would be of course to immediately summon a meeting of the responsible ministers in all EU countries. The ministers of justice, equality and sports must have a top meeting, inviting organisations and authorities with knowledge and competence in this field. There are plenty of them in both EU and Sweden. The common goal should be to efficiently cooperate over the geographical, political and administrative borders to make sure that the concerns and fears of the women’s organisations won’t be realized. The trade in female bodies must be forbidden. Since we, (the ministers and I) agree that prostitution is a form of male violence against women, then of course trafficking in women is even worse form of violence. If the human security in our society cannot be guaranteed, then we have a security-political problem. Male violence against women is a serious global security and political issue and the political action taken must be in accordance with the scale of this crime.

Huge headlines in the newspapers appeared, when some time ago some Swedish national team players were accused for sexual violence against one woman. A scandal – was the official opinion. "This has always happened", wrote some sports journalists, "it’s just that we do not speak loud and in public". The storm calmed down and peace followed. And did anything fundamentally change? What do we really think of the connection between men, matches and "macho"? When will the ministers and smiling sports journalists have the will power, not to say “the balls”, to seriously approach this issue?

Author: Gudrun Schyman
Member of Swedish Parliament and
Spokeswoman of the "Feminist Initiative",
Sweden