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World News

Faith leaders urge locals to report sexual exploitation during Olympics

by Hannah Tooley

Religious leaders are urging everyone attending to report instances of abuse and report vulnerable people as well as suspected traffickers.

According to the Catholic Herald, a new campaign called 'Play for Life' asks tourists and residents to "take a stand, not to submit passively to the arrogance of those who want to manipulate and use everything, even sports and life, for power, pleasure and greed."

Talitha Kum is an international network of consecrated people who are working against trafficking and it says that workers, women and children are increasingly vulnerable during major world events.

It has a presence in more than 80 countries around the world.

It says the Olympics can be used to deceive people "with false promises of more jobs and a better life."

Official Olympic Rio 2016 website

The group went on: "The city of Rio de Janeiro is one of the main Brazilian cities that attracts tourists who are interested in buying sex, even with children and adolescents.

"The 2016 Olympic Games will attract a lot of tourists and with them, opportunities for criminal organisations to enter more easily to pursue their own evil agenda."

The campaign also asks people to report "all forms of exploitation," including the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, by ringing a free number in Brazil where information can be reported anonymously.

A similar programme ran during the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil, where around 30,000 women religious as well as 8,000 priests and 2,700 religious men were involved.

This campaign was responsible for 42% increase in the number of complaints of sexual exploitation, according to Talitha Kum.

The Olympic push to report exploitation will be launched in August to coincide with the start of the games.

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