It seems to take large global events to bring public awareness to problems in other countries. When it was announced that China was going to host the 2008 summer Olympics, many turned a critical eye toward the country, citing its poor record on human rights, the environment, and freedom of the press. China was pressured by the international community to work on cleaning up its act and attention was given to some very important global issues.
This year’s FIFA World Cup will put all eyes on host country South Africa. What will we see? One answer is: a bunch of human rights violations.
ESPN reported in July of 2009 that 70,000 workers constructing World Cup stadiums went on strike seeking a pay increase, for example, claiming that some workers were only earning “about $1.50 an hour and others $5 a week.”
Or, we may witness squatters protesting the government for its failure to provide adequate housing to millions of people in the country. No more than 5 miles from the host city Pretoria, “thousands live without electricity or running water.”
We may hear reports that “more than 20,000 residents were being moved from a makeshift settlement near Cape Town to impoverished areas at the edge of the city” before the games begin, according to an independent investigator for the U.N. Human Rights Council.
South Africa is going to spend billions of dollars on the World Cup, thought it is unclear how much the country will actually earn from the event after FIFA takes its cut. Regardless of the number, it seems doubtful that the South Africans who are most negatively affected by the sporting event will ever see any of that money.
Yet, the FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world — 2006’s final match had a “global cumulative audience of 715.1 million viewers.” Hopefully with that many people watching, FIFA and the international community will put pressure on the South African government to not only take care of the sporting world, but also their own people. Whether or not that pressure will have any lasting change cannot be determined, but it’s important that we have the discussion.
Image via StewieD
