On May 26th, Promundo launched the campaign “It’s not fun, it’s sexual exploitation against children and adolescents”, which aims to draw attention to and prevent the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (ESCCA) during the World Cup period in Brazil. Launched during a seminar at Firjan on the topic, the event was attended by the Minister of the Secretariat of Human Rights, Ideli Salvatti, companies and civil society organizations.
The campaign will circulate through 11 cities during the World Cup (Rio, São Paulo, Salvador, Fortaleza, Natal, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Manaus and Recife), five of which (Rio, São Paulo, Salvador, Fortaleza and Natal) lead the ranking of harmful practices for young people and children, according to the National Secretariat for Human Rights.
At the event, the Minister of the Human Rights Secretariat highlighted the progress made in combating ESCCA in the country, such as the approval by the Chamber of Deputies as a heinous crime and the ordinance that prevents the entry of foreigners convicted of the crime of pedophilia into the country. “There are a lot of questions about the World Cup. People often want a legacy of concrete, iron and steel, but one of the most important legacies is this articulation between state, federal and municipal government institutions”, stated minister Ideli Salvatti.Former player Jorginho, who was right back of the Brazilian team that won the World Cup in 1994 and current coach of Al Wasl, from the United Arab Emirates, participated in campaign videos that will be circulated on social media and on televisions in commercial buildings. A hotsite, Twitter and Facebook social media pages were also created, as well as posters and postcards that will be displayed in bars and restaurants in the main host cities. The institution also produced 120,000 copies of a 'Fan's Guide', which highlights an exclusive interview with Jorginho, information about ESCCA, games schedule and tips for tourists to enjoy the World Cup while respecting children's rights. The guides will be distributed during the tournament's football matches near stadiums and airports. In Rio de Janeiro, campaign posters will be attached to Metro cars and at the Cinelândia station.
The messages were inspired by research carried out by Promundo which shows that some situations of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents are naturalized and not recognized as such by the population.
“We start from some myths associated with masculinity, which make, for example, men think they are helping a child when they have paid sexual relations with them. We start from research that reveals how many men perceive their role in society, and how this reinforces sexual exploitation. Many do not see this as a crime”, explained Promundo’s program coordinator, Vanessa Fonseca.
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Data from the research “Men, women and the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in four cities in Brazil”
• 14% of those interviewed responded that they had had sexual relations with minors under 18 years of age.
• Almost half of the men who say they have had relationships with girls between the ages of 12 and 17 say that this relationship was a way of feeling young.
• The percentage of men who said they had friends who had had sex with teenagers was more than double that of those interviewed who had had sex with teenagers.
• Children and adolescents are held responsible for commercial sex and their behavior is morally condemned: 41% of men in Rio de Janeiro and 46% of women stated that they consider the act to be “teenage prostitution” and not sexual exploitation.
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