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September 6, 2016 79920 0

Mission 89

Mission 89 is a research, education, and advocacy organization that fights the exploitation of young athletes through social and economic transformation

Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are smuggled across borders and sold as commodities, including promising young footballers trafficked by sham agents promising fame and an escape route from a cycle of poverty.

About us

``When a guy claiming to be a player agent turned up in town, driving a big car, saying he knew a lot of important people, and saying had taken other young players to Europe, well, it was difficult to ignore what he said...``

The Issue

Mission 89 aims to empower those most vulnerable to exploitation and counter the widespread belief that migration is the only solution that young footballers have to break out of economic uncertainty.

Support Our Work

The Issue: Mission 89

How You Can Help

Mission 89’s first step towards ending the exploitation of young athletes is to launch a series of research projects which will be among the first independent in-depth investigations into the issue. Please consider donating generously to our research projects.

JOIN The Campaign

Our priority area at this point in time is research. We are working hard to gather credible and reliable data in order to push for evidence-based policies that address trafficking and to develop evidence-based capacity building programs that tackle poverty – the root of the issue.

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Our Blog

Mission 89, European Parliament Convenes Urgent Dialogue on Child Trafficking as Thousands of Young Athletes Face Exploitation

12 hours ago 1 0

High-level roundtable brings together EU policymakers, FIFA, and civil society to address trafficking schemes...

Mission 89 and United Through Sports Introduce Sports Federations to New Initiative Tackling Child Trafficking in Sports

November 12, 2025 12 0

United Through Sports, Mission 89 Launch Groundbreaking Initiative to Combat Child Trafficking in Sport at AIMS...

Dreams for Sale: The Dark Side of Global Sports

November 11, 2025 14 0

Imagine a young athlete, full of passion and determination, eagerly awaiting the chance to display their skills on...