Now that the 2010 World
Cup is over
and Spain has taken the top prize, I wanted to reflect a little bit on
my experience. These thoughts were recorded on June 25, 2010…

On the one hand, South
Africans have
so much pride in the fact that they are hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Even though their team did not make it out of the first round of
competition, every South African brims with pride in their team. They
are known as, “Bafana Bafana,” a term of endearment that translates as
“The Boys.”

As
our team was walking through the slums of Cape Town, “The Boys” scored
in their match against France.

The
place erupted.

People
ran from their houses, blowing vuvuzelas and dancing with us in the
street. Here we are, this group of Americans caught up in an all-out
celebration for “Bafana Bafana.” 

However,
in my conversations with several South Africans, it became clear to me
that there is a feeling of shame due to their reputation in the world
media. South Africa gets negative attention for their high rates of
crime, their persistent poverty, and their high HIV infection rate.
These labels, they believe, have kept many fans away because it is “too
dangerous to go to a third world country with so much crime, poverty,
and disease”.

Some
South Africans feel this bad reputation has unjustly kept many away from
the matches. 

But
the facts remain.

Sex
traffickers, pimps, and brothel owners have shown up in droves. Their
presence is not simply just about giving fans a good time. It’s also
about child prostitution and trafficking.

Whether
you and I want to believe it – whether South Africans want to admit it,
the facts are all pointing to the same story. As I’ve mentioned before,
nearly
40,000 prostitutes have poured into the cities hosting the games.

While
some may have migrated by choice, many women and young children have been
forced.

To hurt and abuse the
defenseless – especially
the young – is the darkest, most shameful thing I can fathom.

Four-year-olds are
kidnapped
to work as sex slaves. Women, boys, and
children are trafficked from all over Africa, Russia, and China. Brothels
have been put up like fruit stands. This
is big business and the police can’t keep up with the volume. 

At the very same time that South
Africans are cheering for “Their Boys” on the soccer field, there are
countless other boys–and girls–who are being systematically raped and
abused in brothels in South Africa, India, and around the world.

South Africa’s pride
and
shame are intertwined in an uneasy alliance. With one comes the other.

Our entire world is
now
filled with 27 million
slaves–more than at any other time in history. 2 million
children are trapped in the commercial sex trade. They are raped 10, 15,
40 times each day.

The
global sex
trade is a big malevolent violence machine that rages throughout the
world, not just South Africa.