Dear teh mEEz,
I know none of us is a huge football fan, but sometimes watching games with friends is always fun. I also like the opening ceremonies, with all the beautiful performances and stuff. However this year, I don't have a good feeling about the games. Here are my reasons:
1- Brazil is the country with the highest rate of child prostitution in the Latin America and the main destination for sex tourism in the Region. I am pretty sure the World Cup, with an estimated number of half a million international football fans flowing there is not gonna help the situation. In fact the games are likely to increase the number of people who would tend to use sexual services "offered" by these little girls and boys, who are in some cases as young as 8 years old.
I know you might think that I am being emotional and am referring to non credible sources, but I actually read an academic paper on the topic while writing my thesis. The living condition of these kids is sickeningly sad.
Now I am by no means an economy expert, but I personally believe that instead of spending 14 billion Dollars in preparation for the World Cup, the Brazilian government could invest in poverty eradication programs and capacity building within the vulnerable families who send their kids off to work on the streets, law enforcement training on the topic, crime control programs, basic education, family planning,... and the list goes on.
2- Many Brazilians are against the games. As far as I have learned, there has been quite some economic pressure on people in the past year or two, especially after the adjustments made in the infrastructure in order to suit them to the international standards for hosting the games. People's protests have led to many arrests and incidents of police brutality. It is annoying that instead of spending the money on subsidizing education and healthcare the government has actually raised such costs in the past year, preferring the "glory" of hosting the Cup over the "actual" needs of its people.
3- World Cup should aim at bringing nations closer together. What is the point of all the hassle if it is only gonna result in more gain for the economic cartels and deepening the currently existing gap?
So these are my main reasons. Of course I would never despise anyone for choosing to watch the games, it is simply my personal choice. I won't be able to keep out of my mind the image of those innocent little glue-sniffing kids in Brazil who will be lost in the shadows of the huge stadiums every time I turn on the TV to watch a football match.
XOXO
Nana Pomzy
