Prestige, patriotism and spectacle are coming to Canada, the United States and Mexico courtesy of the 2026 FIFA World Cup starting on June 11.

But history shows there is a seedy underbelly that accompanies the biggest single-sport competition on the planet: the menace of human trafficking significantly surges.

Due to the high demand for infrastructure projects and temporary service-sector jobs generated by events of this magnitude, the conditions are ripe for vulnerable workers to become ensnared in labour exploitation. Commercial sex traffickers leverage the chaos spawned by the mass influx of tourists to entrap new victims and conduct their illicit enterprises in more daylight than usual.

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Nearly three years ago, the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (CCEHT) developed recommendations to curb exploitation and abuse, particularly labour, that it disseminated to the federal government, the Ontario and B.C. provincial governments and the municipal leadership of Toronto and Vancouver, where 13 of the 104 soccer games will be hosted (six in Toronto, seven in Vancouver).

The CCEHT and partners urged policymakers to “apply an anti-human trafficking lens when designing processes and contracts to ensure that safeguards are put in place at every step.” This means being conscious of historically marginalized individuals involved in projects who could be subject to abuse, proactively informing labourers of their rights and streamlining communications processes to make it easier for workers to report cruel conditions without fear of reprisals.

Ashley Franssen-Tingley, director of partnerships for the CCEHT, said the organization provided external consultation to the City of Toronto as it assembled its Candidate Host City Human Rights Stakeholder and Partner Engagement Report and conversations have taken place with Vancouver’s frontline responders.

“We were thinking about all the training that all the staff, volunteers and police have had (about detecting trafficking),” said Franssen-Tingley. “Do the paramedics who are going to be responding in the crowds and fan zones have the proper training? Are we ensuring that the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline number is included in the training?”

Though she “had hoped to see more strategic investments into the frontline response” from the government, Franssen-Tingley said the state and law enforcement will not be alone in the effort to grow awareness about the risks of trafficking and, hopefully, to disrupt its occurrence as non-governmental organizations are stepping up.

The Mary Ward Centre, a ministry of the Loretto Sisters in Toronto striving to advance peace, justice and integrity through various initiatives, is a prominent Canadian Catholic entity participating in this effort. Eva Rodriguez-Diaz, the Mary Ward Centre’s program manager of trafficking, migrants and refugees, participated in a May 12 international webinar featuring discussions and presentations from seven organizations combatting trafficking in the Americas. Panellists delved into prevention strategies and the need for cross-border coordination and what lessons were learned from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.  

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During her segment, Rodriguez-Diaz emphasized that “it is up to us, as civil society, through our organizations, churches, schools, projects, activities and community spaces, to promote education, raise awareness and discuss the risks — how to identify them and how to prevent them.”

Rodriguez-Diaz recommended that spectators develop a safety plan comprised of the following measures:

• Staying informed through reliable and verifiable sources;
• Checking entry and exit routes to venues;
• Sharing information about the places you'll be visiting and an approximate arrival and departure time;
• Committing to attending events in groups with people you know and trust for an extended period;
• Having protocols and a meeting place if someone gets separated from their group; and
• Identifying strategies others might use to try to break up the group.

Alessandra Santopadre, the migrants, refugees and asylum seekers program manager for the Archdiocese of Montreal, underscored the need for everyone to do their part in combatting the second most lucrative criminal scourge in the world behind the illegal drug trade.

She lamented how, despite Mexico, the United States and Canada sharing borders, migration routes and a duty to safeguard their citizens, “cooperation among the three countries to prevent trafficking remains insufficient. Laws are not harmonized. Victim identification protocols vary. And time is running out.”

Sr. Sandra Ede of the Adrian Dominican Sisters shared that the “A Cry for Life” Brazilian network of 100 religious congregations instituted a successful “Play in Favor of Life” drive leading up to the 2014 World Cup. Several of the coordinated actions at the heart of the campaign included distribution of informational resources online and in key places such as airports, hotels, bus terminals, educational sessions in schools and community centres, public marches and prayer gatherings and offering prevention training and capacity-building for community-oriented professionals.

Valentina Amate Perez detailed the campaign PACT — Protect All Children from Trafficking — is deploying in the lead-up, duration and aftermath of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. PACT’s youth program manager said the awareness effort’s key shareable resource is a Child Trafficking Red Flag Checklist. The list outlines what to look out for, such as the child appearing lost or disoriented, he or she not being able to identify where they are or how long they are staying, seemingly scripted responses and detection of untreated injuries.

Perez said the prevention campaign has also worked to promote “responsible tourism and business practices and strengthen safe reporting and response mechanisms.” Additionally, the campaign is being adapted to reflect each host country’s “local contexts, languages and priorities. This ensures that the message is not only consistent but also culturally and operationally relevant.”

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Notably, It’s a Penalty, a group that engages in campaigns all around the world to end abuse, exploitation and human trafficking, has also launched awareness efforts in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in advance of the opening matches. Canadian partners in this effort include Covenant House Toronto and BC, Public Safety Canada, Voice Found, Children of the Street, Victim Services Toronto and Durham, Toronto and Vancouver law enforcement agencies, 211 Canada and more.

If you are experiencing trafficking or are concerned about the risk to someone else, call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.