Exploitation on the Field: Human Trafficking in Sports
Maura Nsonwu, PhD, LCSW; Cassi Rogers, MSc; Adora Nsonwu, MPH; Drake Gomez & Sarah Ascienzo, PhD, LCSW | September 20 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Topic: Conceptual | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
The global sports industry is expected to grow from $388.28 billion in 2020 to $440.77 billion in 2021 (Kumar & Bhalla, 2021). Projected to outpace global GDP, the sports industry is a lavishly oiled, complex machine that is entirely dependent on exceptionally talented individuals with the skills, drive, and discipline to chase their dreams (Kearney, 2011). Oftentimes, young socially and financially vulnerable athletes are targets for traffickers who hold the deceptive promise of wealth, fame, and opportunity. Traffickers, also referred to as “recruiters,” exploit young athletes through force, fraud, and coercion for social and economic power (Busch-Armendariz et al., 2018; TVPA, section 103[8]). There is a dearth of publications, information, and vocabulary surrounding the human trafficking of athletes, despite its growing threat to human rights. Though the presenters identify specific domestic and global legal cases surrounding the topic, they also recognize that the void of information about this social problem continues to perpetuate this growing and time-sensitive issue. Their presentation will seek to address these concerns. This presentation will provide a much-needed examination and discourse of this emerging social and public health problem. The presenters will seek to define trafficking within the global sports industry as a human rights violation, identify and explore the push and pull migration factors, and center this call-to-action as an international human rights issue by utilizing methodologies such as case study analysis and systems thinking maps.
Presentation Objectives:
· Define and conceptualize human trafficking within the sports industry through social work and public health epistemological approach
· Discuss the challenges of conceptualizing this multifaceted social problem
· Identify the areas within the global sports industry where human trafficking of athletes is most prominent
· Identify and define key vulnerabilities of athletes through the recruitment process
· Identify and discuss potential solutions and next steps to addressing this problem