“The Line We Don’t Cross” Campaign Combats Child Trafficking In Sports

Mission 89 and United Through Sports have launched a global campaign to raise awareness of child exploitation, abuse and trafficking in sport, titled ‘The Line We Don’t Cross’.

The campaign was unveiled on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

At the heart of the initiative is to activate a broad spectrum of sport stakeholders from federations, clubs and agents to sponsors and national governments, behind a commitment to ethical recruitment practices and enhanced safeguarding measures.

Ashley Plumptre, the English born professional footballer who plays for the Nigerian Women’s National Team (who won WAFCON last month) and for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, and an ambassador for the campaign, said: “The reality is that fake agents frequently exploit the dreams of young children for whom football represents a chance for a different future… tragically, an estimated 15,000 young football players are trafficked from West Africa each year.”

A UN report released last March found that children now account for 38% of all trafficking victims worldwide. The sports sector is riddled with agents enticing young athletes, especially those from vulnerable communities, with false promises of training or competition abroad.

This has resulted in many aspiring athletes being exploited, forced into labour, or even abandoned overseas, said a Mission 89 statement.

“We cannot continue to celebrate the power of sport while ignoring the risks faced by young athletes,” said Lerina Bright, Executive Director of Mission 89. “#TheLineWeDon’tCross is about ensuring that every child who dreams of making it in sport is safe, supported, and never exploited. We want organisations and stakeholders in the industry to join us, and through that, we can build a future of sport that we can all be proud of.”

The campaign calls on sports leaders to sign an integrity commitment affirming zero tolerance for child trafficking through sport. It also asks them to commit to integrating anti-trafficking standards, such as modern slavery statements, into their governance.

Mission 89 has developed a specialised toolkit of resources and training materials to guide organisations through the issues.

“This is more than a campaign, it’s a long overdue commitment to do better, act with urgency, and to safeguard the well-being of young people everywhere,” said Julia Govinden, CEO of United Through Sports.

Insideworldfootball.com