The high-level side event, titled “Safeguarding Women in Sport: Global Action Against Trafficking and Exploitation,” was hosted by Mission 89, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta, and the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica.

As a multi-billion-dollar global industry with transformative potential for youth development and gender equality, sport is also increasingly being exploited by transnational trafficking networks.

According to the 2024 UN Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, women and children make up the majority of identified victims, and there is a disturbing upward trend in trafficking cases linked to athletic recruitment, particularly in the Global South. The UN General Assembly’s Resolution 78/228 also echoed concern about this phenomenon, citing the need to improve coordination, data collection, and policy action across sport and migration systems.

A key highlight of the event was the formal presentation of the Global Thematic Report on Sport Trafficking, a groundbreaking study co-produced by Mission 89, Loughborough University, and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK.

The report provides the first globally recognised definition of sport trafficking aligned with the Palermo Protocol and offers a detailed analytical framework for governments, sport federations, and human rights institutions to identify, prevent, and respond to trafficking practices.

One of the most compelling aspects of the event was the inclusion of athletes whose lived experiences added depth and urgency to the conversation. Nigerian international and Al-Ittihad centre-back Ashleigh Plumptre shared her insights on the pressures faced by female footballers navigating contracts, migration, and power imbalances. Finnish goalkeeper Katriina Talaslahti, currently with Dijon FCO, underscored the need for international safeguarding systems, noting that women often face vulnerabilities that aren’t just physical, but systemic.

The keynote address, delivered by H.E. Professor Michel Veuthey of the Sovereign Order of Malta, emphasised the urgent need for cross-border cooperation and data-sharing frameworks to detect and prevent exploitation in transnational sporting contexts.

Key interventions were delivered by Dr. Marie-Laure Lemineur, Head of Safeguarding at FIFA, who presented FIFA’s latest safeguarding strategies and emphasised the role of federations in implementing athlete-centred protection. Others are Hon. Jared Okelo, Member of Parliament (Kenya), who called for legislative alignment between sport governance and national anti-trafficking laws and Ms. Céline Moreau, legal expert and former ILO officer.

With Switzerland preparing to host the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 in July, the side event provided a timely opportunity to engage stakeholders, spotlight vulnerabilities before a major women’s tournament, and build momentum for policy reform. The conveners called for immediate efforts to scale up public awareness campaigns like Mission 89’s #NotInOurGame, enhance legal identity protocols for athlete migration, and strengthen institutional safeguards through interagency cooperation.

The event successfully fulfilled its core objectives: raising awareness, fostering cross-sector dialogue, and proposing concrete next steps to tackle trafficking in sport. Lerina Bright, Executive Director of Mission 89, affirmed in her closing remarks: “Safeguarding women and girls in sport is not a side issue, as it is central to the future of sport as a force for good. With the tools, testimonies, and political will showcased today, we have the power to change the game.”

Download the Global Thematic Report on Sport Trafficking
[here]

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The webinar, attended by over 100 participants from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, underscored the global recognition of sport trafficking as a pressing issue. Speakers included high-profile representatives from international organisations such as FIFA, CAF, the United Nations, and prominent academic institutions, as survivor testimonies added a powerful human dimension to the discussions.

At the heart of the transformative event was the unveiling of the Global Thematic Report on Sport Trafficking, a comprehensive document meticulously designed to empower governments and organisations to confront the problem. By leveraging evidence-based analysis derived from the report, Mission 89 aims to provide insightful perspectives on the issue and offer action-oriented policy recommendations to drive meaningful change.

Delivering his keynote address, Prof. Dr. Michel Veuthey, Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta stated, “How can we better prevent and combat human trafficking? We need a strong international legal framework, increased public awareness, and active engagement from law enforcement, judges and magistrates, researchers and academic institutions, the media, and the business community.”

Speakers at the webinar assessed policy gaps in United Nations conventions, African Union frameworks, and sports regulations, as well as weaknesses in agent regulations and sports academy licensing practices, and advocated for cross-border collaborations and support systems for vulnerable athletes.

Dr. Decius Hikabwa Chipande, Head of the African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Secrétariat: “Sports serves as a powerful vehicle for economic progress but is also exploited for other purposes. African Union is strongly committed to combat trafficking in the world of sports. In terms of region, on the African continent, irregular migration is a continental phenomenon affecting all african countries.”   

For more insights on the research findings, policy gaps and solutions, download the webinar report here. Mission 89 NFN Webinar Report

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The progress shown by African national teams in international competitions since the 1990s as well as the outstanding careers of African football icons such as Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Nwankwo Kanu, to name a few, has fueled the desire of thousands of young West Africans to try to make it to “the top”.

While some footballers have been able to follow in their more famous predecessors’ footsteps, a disturbing by-product of this fascination with Europe’s football leagues has also been on the rise. This worrying phenomenon is known as “football trafficking” – for a more comprehensive definition of the term, see Esson and Drywood (2018).

The growth of African football has not gone unobserved. This has triggered a reaction, some clubs have been looking out for younger and younger “raw” talents to be “purchased” at a low cost, with the hope of turning them into established players to be sold at a higher price thus generating a big profit. On the other hand, the number of aspiring footballers craving to pursue a professional career in European football has also dramatically increased. Unfortunately, this demand and supply situation has created thriving grounds for exploitation of young talent.

Alarmed by the “race to young talent”, national and international institutions and sports governing bodies have taken restrictive measures. For example, FIFA introduced Article 19 of its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which states that international transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18, unless their parents move to the country in which the new club is located for reasons unrelated to football, the player is aged at least 16 and the transfer happens within the European Union or the player lives no further than 50km from a national border and the club with which the player wishes to be registered in the neighbouring association is also within 50km of that border.

The goal of Article 19 is to put a limit to the frequent cases of fraud and abandonment linked with the movement of underage players as outlined in the “10 step guide to football trafficking” (Esson 2015).

Playing football at the best possible stage – Europe – per se is not the only motivation drawing large numbers of would-be footballers from the Global South. Research conducted on over 100 underage Ghanaian footballers revealed that they viewed migrating to a well-paid European league, where a player would get the maximum return on their ability, as the embodiment of self-reliance and entrepreneurialism (Esson and Drywood: 2018).

In other words, football is seen as a way of improving families’ social and economic status, a situation that is mostly perceived as impossible to achieve by staying in the country of origin.

Global South to North migration does not only pertain to football, although research in other sports is lacking.

With the aim to finding a way to balance two fundamental principles of the Convention on the Right of the Child, i.e adherence to the best interests of the child and the child’s right to participate in decisions regarding their future, further research into the migration of youth related to sports is needed as well raising the awareness of all the players involved, two activities in which Mission 89 has always been fully engaged in order to tackle the issue of the exploitation of young athletes.

The post In pursuit of sporting success 1 appeared first on Mission89.

MEP Bogdan Wenta said the European Parliament’s Sport Intergroup would table a parliamentary question to the European Commision and place trafficking in sport on the EU political agenda.

“It is crucial to create and raise awareness around the issue of human trafficking as related to professional sport and acknowledge the magnitude of the problem,” said Wenta.

The event – co-hosted by Wenta, non-profit Mission 89, the European Parliament Sport Intergroup, and the Amersi Foundation – was the first time multiple sport stakeholders had met under the same roof in Europe to discuss trafficking in sport – particularly football.

Participants agreed to actively pursue concrete measures to eradicate trafficking in sport.

Attendees included representatives from FIFA, the Premier League, the International Labor Organization, the Office of Sport of the Italian government, Interpol, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Athletics Integrity Unit, Council of Europe, International Centre for Sport Security, SIGA, the European Football Agents Association, Kampos St-Denis, West Ham United Foundation, the University of Loughborough, University of Liverpool.

A powerful video testimony from football trafficking survivor Matthew Edafe of Nigeria rallied the audience to challenge a status quo where the issue is widely ignored. Edafe, who was recruited in Nigeria and then abandoned en route to Europe by fake agents, called for professional footballers to take a leading role in educating young Africans on legitimate pathways to a career in professional sport.

“The EU should not ignore the importance of trafficking in sport and its dramatic impact due to Europe’s attractiveness for youth athletes,” said Mission 89 Executive Director Lerina Bright. “This gives a responsibility to re-open discussion inside Parliament and for this subject to be debated until a structured and sustainable solution can be proposed.”

Baroness Young of Hornsey (UK), said the exploitation of children and young adults in sport cannot be tolerated and that collaboration across industry sectors and among stakeholders was “vital”.

“We can’t sweep this issue under the carpet,” Young said. “Addressing it and finding solutions is something we can do. It is easy to sign up to a charter but the next step is asking ourselves what we can actually do. We need leadership and we need people to stand up and say not in our game and commit to something concrete.”

Chris Eaton, a former FIFA and Interpol official who is now a consultant to the International Center for Sports Security, called on FIFA and regional football confederations to register and regulate players agents and register and regulate youth training camps and coaching schools.

Eaton said a publicly available registry of players, agents, and youth training schools would enable families to have confidence in who they are dealing with on behalf of their children.

Media representative Juliet Bawuah described the value of launching educational campaigns through social media to reach aspiring young athletes in Africa.

Mohamed Amersi, of the Amersi Foundation, linked the exploitation of athletes to the broader issue of modern day slavery.

“This was a groundbreaking gathering that took positive steps to address the eradication of youth exploitation and trafficking in sport,” Amersi said. “In terms of purchasing slave made goods, Europe follows the United States as the biggest abuser of modern day slavery. It is important that sport and institutional leaders recognize their important role in changing the status quo and particularly protecting the most vulnerable and marginalized.”

Baroness Young called for the group to reconvene within six months.

“There is a sense of urgency and a willingness to move forward together,” said Baroness Young.

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#NOTINOURGAME

High-level Panel Session Hosted by the European Parliament Intergroup on Sport, Mission 89, and the Amersi Foundation

Tuesday 16th October 2018, 18h30 – 20h30

(Read more here)

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

To mark the 11th EU Anti-trafficking Day (October 18), the European Parliament Intergroup on Sport, Mission 89, and the Amersi Foundation will bring together European policy makers and key stakeholders to address child trafficking in sport.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

The Baroness Young of Hornsey, OBE
Mohamed Amersi, The Amersi Foundation
Bogdan Wenta, Member of European Parliament
Dr. Serhat Yilmaz, Professor of Sports Law, Loughborough University
Brett Clothier, IAAF, Head of Athletics Integrity Unit
Roberto Branco Martins, Sec. Gen, European Football Agents Association
Bulent Tansel, Criminal Intelligence Officer, Interpol
Chris Eaton, Consultant, Law Enforcement
Paolo Bertaccini, Advisor to the ITA Government on Sport Integrity
Mathieu Moreuil, Director of International Football Relations and EU Affairs
James Johnson, Head of Professional Football FIFA
Benjamin Smith, FPRW Technical Specialist on Child Labour (ILO)
Yatta Dakowah, Representative, Chief of the UNODC Liaison Office
John Dorber, Council of Europe, Adviser on Sport and migration to EPAS

With only broad estimates of how many youth, particularly of African and South American origin, leave their country of birth to pursue an often-false rainbow, it is difficult to determine the true extent of trafficking in sport. Civil Society and Political Institutions are showing increasing concern on this issue and have subsequently passed policy resolutions and recommendations that address the phenomenon.

Young footballers are the most affected. The International Olympic Committee’s Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance of the Olympic and Sports Movement prohibits exploitation of young athletes and explicitly states that for the protection of athletes:

• Measures should be taken to prohibit exploitation of young athletes
• Athletes should be protected from unscrupulous recruiters and agents
• Cooperation with the government of the countries concerned should be developed
• Codes of conduct should be signed by all sport organisations

FIFA on the other hand has taken steps to limit the exploitation of young footballers, primarily through its Transfer Matching System (TMS) and the enforcement of regulations prohibiting the international transfer of minors.However, sport governing bodies and authorities can only regulate activities within the scope of organized competition. Other active international organisations, NGOs, and charities dedicated to assisting and protecting vulnerable youths are faced with the complexity of the issue of child trafficking – issues of jurisdiction and resources, enforcement of existing resolutions and regulations and an absence of a coordinated effort to implement recommendations.

A root cause analysis carried out by Mission 89 cited the ineffectiveness of measures taken so far to include a lack of coordination between key actors, inadequate resources to implement and enforce policies and a lack of prioritisation of the issue by governments and national sport federations.

Against this background and to mark this year’s EU Anti-trafficking Day, this event aims to bring together European policy makers and key stakeholders to set the foundation for a multisectoral dialogue and approach to addressing child trafficking in sport. EU policy makers and development aid can play a key role in affecting meaningful change on this issue, leading awareness and advocacy and making a statement of no tolerance on trafficking in sports.

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Players who have traveled from Africa are often discarded by clubs and agents and left to fend for themselves with no legal documentation. Without the support of family, friends, and a legitimate agent, they have to find a way to survive in Europe.

This story from German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (in English) explains why European clubs value young players from Africa and how agents can misrepresent the opportunities available.

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As reported by Corriere della Sera, local authorities have revealed that there is a fast growing trend of young African football talents, with certificates, entry visas and other documents that are now suspected of being false, arriving in the Tuscan city of Prato and being presented as promising players and in some cases transferred to top-ranking football clubs in the country.

Some of the documents included false maternity certificates allegedly proving that the minors’ mother were women legally abiding in Italy.

According to local investigators, said football talents were in fact underage minors from the Ivory Coast without any form of residence permit to stay in the country. Since the initial investigation, local police have been executing extra measures with threat of jail time for those involved and a series of surveys at clubs including local AC Prato, who is now in Italian third league Lega Pro, and heightened investigations on match-fixing and betting.

The teams involved Inter, Fiorentina and Serie B side Cittadella have all received requests for access to corporate documents: authorities are investigating, in particular, the transfer of two young Africans who are accused of entering Italy with falsified documents in order for the clubs in question (AC Prato and Sestese) to obtain profits on the sale of the players. Inter, Fiorentina and Cittadella have accepted the transfers in the full conviction that everything was regular. Among the transfers that are being investigated is Ivorian Christian Kouamé’s, sold by Prato to Cittadella for 400.000 euros.

Read the story in Italian by clicking here.

Read the story in English by clicking here.

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