"We are confident that in the long run we can succeed in raising public awareness about the human rights violations against women," said Michael Handrick, head of the campaign organized by the "Diakonisches Werk", the social service agency of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD).

Anticipating heightened forced prostitution during the month-long World Cup, the agency launched a nationwide campaign highlighting concern about forced prostitution. Posters, postcards distributed to potential clients, and a telephone hotline were used.

Handrick said that during each week of the event, the number of people using the telephone hotline increased and it included victims of forced prostitution and human trafficking as well as clients reporting women in distress.

"We started the campaign during the World Cup, because we were afraid that forced prostitution and human trafficking would increase because of a rise in demand for prostitution", Barbara-Maria Vahle, the spokesperson of the church agency, told Ecumenical News International.

Corinna Dammeyer of the women's refuge "Nadeschda" in Herford, northern Germany, said there did not appear to have been an increase in forced prostitution during the soccer tournament, but that the local hotline had prompted the rescue of eight women. Still, noted Bernd Schlueter of "Diakonisches Werk", because there did not appear to have been a huge increase in forced prostitution during the World Cup, the problem should still not be under-estimated.

"We always distance ourselves from what are sometimes horror scenarios," noted Schlueter, "but we also have to counter those who want to minimise the problem because they feel uncomfortable with it." Forced prostitution is an escalating problem in poverty-stricken eastern Europe, he warned. "The important thing is that even after the World Cup we keep our eye on the ball through our lobbying and by offering counselling to affected women."

ENI