Comments on: FACT CHECKER

By: stephenpaterson

stephenpaterson — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:12:35 +0000

Ed Moran – All the gen on the Athens and German human trafficing for sex panics, the GAATW, CATW, the inquiries, the reports, the paranoia on Canada and, of course, that on London, together with some real human rights issues over the Olympics, each with loadsa links at
http://stephenpaterson.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/traffickingtheolympicsandthebill/
now.

By: stephenpaterson

stephenpaterson — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:38:21 +0000

Ed Moran – Why, thank you, Ed! At the moment I’m planning a blog on this issue, so I have links coming out of my ears. Keep an eye out on my blog, I should have something up by the end of the weekend.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:06:47 +0000

Good to own up to it… I still wonder about your judgment though in thinking that 1m could be at all likely.

By: Ed Moran

Ed Moran — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:53:43 +0000

Stephen, can you give some links?

By: Ed Moran

Ed Moran — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:52:14 +0000

@Stephen Paterson.
Excellent post! Keep up the good work!

By: stephenpaterson

stephenpaterson — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:55:41 +0000

OK, Mary, now we’ve a figure for construction workers, maybe you can tell me what inquiries have been made to discover whether any of the construction workers have been trafficked?

I ask in all seriousness, having read a recent paper by the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women on trafficking and the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

I quote: “While the majority of attention is placed on trafficking for sexual exploitation, other more realistic concerns regarding trafficking and exploitation have been raised during recent Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008.

“One was the PlayFair campaign, an international effort by unions, NGOs and labour groups to draw
attention to inhuman working conditions in the world sportswear sector. It was launched prior to the 2004
Athens Olympics and aimed “to pressure sportswear and athletic footwear companies, the International
Olympics Committee … as well as national governments, into taking identifiable and concrete measures to eliminate the exploitation and abuse of the mostly women workers in the global sporting goods industry.
This campaign continued for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“Another concern raised prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics was in relation to the exploitation of construction workers – largely migrants – who were working on sports venues prior to the games. The Chinese government admitted that six workers had been killed in workplace accidents at Olympic venues. While this is largely related to labour conditions and labour rights in China, it is also connected with conditions formed by hosting the Olympics games – a sudden need for specific sports venues and housing for athletes within a limited time period which may lead to extended working hours and an increase in risk for workers.

While neither of these two situations directly address trafficking, they both highlight highly exploitative labour
conditions and sectors that frequently rely on migrant workers, which increases the risk for trafficking cases.
Improving and regulating working conditions will also decrease the likelihood of trafficking for labour
exploitation, which many see as the greatest link between trafficking in persons and sporting events.”

http://bccec.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/gaatw_2010olympics1.pdf

By: Kenneth Morton

Kenneth Morton — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:34:32 +0000

I hope that as a London MEP and a former CVS head working in Stratford that you get the chance to attend the site when it is finished.

The Games themselves begin in almost exactly three years time and I hope that they are a great success.

Time to move on after this storm in a teacup!

By: Iain Dale

Iain Dale — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:57:39 +0000

Well done!