As foreign soccer fans flood to the host city of Recife' a number of children’s rights organizations are working double time to stop child prostitutes from operating with some of them charging as little as $2 for sex. According to British charity Happy Child International, girls as young as 11 are being exploited by pimps, and lured to walk the streets and offer their bodies to tourists.
“We know there are significant risks to children before, during and after major sporting events. The majority of fans and tourists traveling to Brazil for the World Cup would be horrified at the thought of causing harm to the nations children. But unfortunately some will take advantage,” the charity’s founder and CEO Sarah de Carvalho said.
While prostitution is legal in Brazil for those over 18, one sex worker shared that poverty and drug addictions makes younger and younger girls vulnerable to trafficking.
“10, 12, 13, 14, they’ll take them at any age,” she said. "They come and choose a child. A lot of them will go because of necessity. Because of drugs or because they are high. To earn money to survive." She added.
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