Don't allow prostitution in World Cup

Tallinn: European lawmakers will present a petition to the European Commission on International Women's Day on Wednesday, calling for tough measures to prevent thousands of women and girls being forced into prostitution in Germany during the soccer World Cup.

"The World Cup should be a celebration of sport, not an orgy of the sale of women's bodies," Marianne Mikko, a member of the European parliament from Estonia said.

"We urge the European Commission to take action, in cooperation with EU countries, to stop this crime.

"We are currently collecting signatures all over Europe, via the Internet, and will hand over a petition to (Commission President) Jose Manuel Barroso on Women's Day."

Mikko said the anti-prostitution campaign was particularly important for the new former communist member states of the EU, whose women were at greater risk of being used as sex slaves.

"As the standard of living in the new member states is lower, it makes it more attractive for pimps and the women themselves to use the World Cup as a lucrative way of earning quick cash," she said.

Mikko said thousands were expected to sign the appeal. "This will be something that cannot be ignored," she said. "The campaign should not be viewed as a one-off enterprise of some loonies; it will remain on the agenda until the World Cup."

The poorer the country, the higher the risk of its women being used as sex slaves, Mikko said.

She cited as an example the former Soviet republic of Moldova, where one-in-three women is unemployed.

"It is estimated that every second prostitute in Paris comes from Moldova, and many of them have not chosen this fate voluntarily," said Mikko, who heads the European parliament's delegation for relations with Moldova.

"The World Cup should not be used as an additional impetus to the prostitution industry."

In Estonia, the campaign is particularly relevant as the country is deep in debate on whether to make the purchase of sexual services a criminal offence, she said.

"The Social Democrats of Estonia support making the purchase of the services of a prostitute a crime," Mikko said. "This is another reason why we actively support the pan-European campaign against prostitution at the World Cup."