Challenging popular representations of child trafficking in football

Esson, James and Drywood, Eleanor ORCID: 0000-0003-2856-4775 (2018) Challenging popular representations of child trafficking in football. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 4 (1). pp. 60-72.

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Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>Reports of human trafficking within the football industry have become a topic of academic, political and media concern. The movement of and trade in aspirant young (male) footballers from West Africa to Europe, and more recently to Asia, dominates these accounts. The paper aims to discuss these issues.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>This paper provides an overview of scholarship on this topic, with a specific focus on exploring how this form of human trafficking intersects with the broader debates over children’s rights in the context of exploitation tied to the irregular forms of migration.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>The paper illustrates how popular narratives associated with the trafficking of young West African footballers mimic stereotypical portrayals of child trafficking, which have implications for the solutions put forward. It is argued that popular representations of football-related child trafficking are problematic for several reasons, but two are emphasised here. First, they perpetuate a perception that the mobility of young African footballers entails a deviant form of agency in need of fixing, while simultaneously disassociating the desire to migrate from the broader social structures that need to be addressed. Second, and relatedly, they result in regulations and policy solutions that are inadvertently reductive and often at odds with the best interests of the children they seek to protect.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This an original study of the narratives associated with the trafficking of young West African footballers and those of child trafficking.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Behavioral and Social Science, Pediatric, 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	10 Jan 2018 13:25
Last Modified:	15 Mar 2024 00:56
DOI:	10.1108/jcrpp-01-2018-0005
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3015792