HARARE - The Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) will launch at the end of the month a campaign to urge action against sexual exploitation of women and children ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in neighbouring South Africa.The campaign dubbed the Red Light 2010 Campaign is a worldwide initiative to combat illegal human trafficking and to reduce the number of children sold to the sex industry and exploited on the internet. WLSA National Coordinator Sly Chirawu said the regional campaign against sexual exploitation of minors was launched in Johannesburg last November. The Zimbabwean phase of the campaign will be launched on July 31.
The Zimbabwean campaign will be launched in Gwanda town in Matabeleland North province, according to Chirawu.
Chirawu said that Gwanda had been selected as venue of the launch after local communities there expressed concern over the number of young girls who were being lured to South Africa on false promises of jobs but ended up being sold to the illegal sex industry.
With the World Cup tournament expected to draw millions of visitors to the region including pedophiles and other sexual offenders, civic and child rights experts have urged governments and non-governmental organisations to step up efforts prevent the exploitation of women and children.
Post published in: Football