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World Cup 2010 - a cupful of thoughts
Fungai Machirori
May 17, 2007

The Avenues is a suburb in Harare well-known for many things - its endless rows of apartment buildings, its array of posh private clinics, and its rife commercial sex work industry which comes to life every night under the glow of the city lights as young girls and women stalk corners to sell sex.

This is not the only suburb peddling this form of work - still illegal in Zimbabwe - but it remains one of the more prominent hotspots for the soliciting of paid-for sex acts. And it is from this very area that many hopeful Zimbabwean sex workers will eagerly await the advent of the 2010 Football World Cup as a huge boost to their income-generation.

South Africa is a nation already inundated with an influx of Zimbabwean legal and illegal immigrants and cross border traders seeking a means to survive away from the economic challenges of their home country. And World Cups, like all 'global' events are much sought after because of their income generating potential. World Cup 2010, the first time that the event is to be staged in Africa, will inevitably fuel trade in a range of commodities from merchandise and professional expertise to sex. It is set to stimulate commercial sex work business in South Africa, as well as attract the interest of many sex workers operating in neighbouring countries struggling to guarantee their futures in uncertain economies. But we must bear in mind that sub-Saharan Africa, with its cluster of nations with some of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates, is the global epicentre of the AIDS epidemic that is mainly being fuelled by unprotected sex - a practice that is common in commercial sex wo rk.

And with South Africa mooting the legalisation of both commercial sex work and public drinking over the World Cup period - a move set to create a more enabling environment for sex workers to operate, while also reducing the likelihood that condoms will be used (alcohol fuelled lust is not known for its appreciation of the need for precautions) - the possibilities for the exchange of currencies and sexual partners seem infinite. At the German World Cup, held last year, an estimated 3 million fans bought sex with over 40,000 illegal prostitutes entering the European country to provide 'cheer' for the global spectacle. One wonders what dizzying figures the African World Cup will provide with 31 nations' fans eager to explore all of Africa's charms and thrills.

But once the excitement dampens after the final match has been played, and the World Cup trophy has been hoisted, and the last fans have boarded their planes back to their respective regions of the world, what legacy will 2010 leave with the people of Africa? Will transactional sex work have played a role in both importing and exporting an HIV epidemic that international aid agencies and organisations hope to be containing by that same period? As the world's leaders affirmed at the UN High-level Meeting on AIDS in May and June last year,

"[We commit] to pursue all necessary efforts to scale up nationally driven, sustainable and comprehensive responses to achieve broad multi-sectoral coverage for prevention, treatment, care and support, with full and active participation of people living with HIV, vulnerable groups, most affected communities, civil society and the private sector, towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive prevention programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010." The irony of the coinciding dates cannot be ignored.

South Africa has approximately 5,5 million people living with HIV and studies show that in urban areas, 50% of female South African sex workers are HIV positive. That nation's neighbours show equally severe trends in HIV prevalence across populations, particularly among women. Swaziland, the small kingdom completely surrounded by South Africa, has an already alarmingly high prevalence rate of over 30% for both men and women.

But of course none of these thought-provoking statistics would make any World Cup advertising campaigns. Far from it, the glamour-less topic of HIV will be swept aside by the prevailing excitement and promise of great fun to be had through the 'exotic pastimes' as Jackie Selebi, the South African Police National Commissioner put it to the country's Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security, when raising the issue of legalising prostitution over the period.

And while routine testing for HIV and STIs among sex workers in Europe is the norm, have South African officials taken this into consideration for all the registered sex workers who would take part in the showcase? And even if they have, in a country with porous borders and a notoriously corrupt policing system, there is likely to be no stopping the entry of illegal sex workers, some trafficked from all over Africa, into the commercial sex work industry. Are we readying ourselves for the possible explosion in HIV after the event? According to UNAIDS, a high proportion of new HIV infections in Asia are contracted during paid sex. In Viet Nam, HIV prevalence among female sex workers increased from 0,06% in 1994 to 6% in 2002 - a hundred-fold jump. In China, sex workers and their clients account for just under 20% of the total number of people living with HIV.

As the foreign sex workers return to their respective nations, the web of interactions will make not only the football, but also the sexual contact, a global exchange. Africa's public health sector is already stretched with many national governments unable to meet the treatment needs of those currently living with HIV. As at 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa, only 810,000 of an estimated 4.7 million people who needed it were on treatment. If the region is already struggling to contain the epidemic, it follows that the problem needs no exacerbation.

The World Cup promises to be a lucrative activity for all of Africa. While it will market our continent and help channel much needed funds to various business sectors, we must remember that all these gains can be lost if our nations do not think through the all the implications this world stage has for our anti- HIV and AIDS efforts.

Let us hope that South Africa will overcome its qualms about admitting its positive status and make a huge investment to saturate the country with AIDS awareness messages and both male and female condoms.

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