2014 Games may be 'a magnet for sex trade'

Published on Thursday 17 April 2008 22:18

THE Commonwealth Games in Glasgow could become a "magnet" for prostitution and child-trafficking, it was claimed yesterday.

The stark warning was issued by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), which called for vigilance to prevent the sex trade flourishing during the 2014 event.

Other major fixtures, such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games, had become centres of sexual exploitation in the past, the STUC general secretary, Grahame Smith, said. Large numbers of men descending on host cities meant they could be transformed into hot spots for traffickers.

Mr Smith warned there was a "need to ensure when the Commonwealth Games come to Glasgow that it doesn't become a magnet for traffickers".

Mary Senior, the STUC assistant secretary, said: "The STUC is absolutely delighted the Commonwealth Games has come to Glasgow. We just want to ensure that people are not exploited."