A pact against horror, just in time for the show
Unicef and DiDi announce a collaboration to combat human trafficking ahead of the World Cup. The initiative is called ‘Blue Card’ and seeks to get drivers and users of the app to report suspicious cases.
Alejandro Escobedo, legal representative of DiDi in Mexico, explains it with the neat language of official statements:
“DiDi and Unicef join forces to promote the Blue Card initiative, through it we seek to raise awareness among drivers and passengers with clear and accessible information”
The card would include telephone numbers and a QR code to report risk situations involving minors. It sounds good on paper. It always sounds good on paper.
The dark side of big events
Laurent Duvillier, from Unicef Mexico, puts the points on the i’s with unusual crudeness:
“We know that major sporting events represent opportunities for children, but they also carry risks, and one of these risks is child sexual exploitation”
He does not mince his words: millions of tourists mean greater danger. And it ends with a piece of information that should make our blood run cold:
“Unicef has proven for decades that these types of crimes are committed in each of the World Cups”
Decades. They’ve known it for decades. And here we are, announcing campaigns as the event approaches.
Will it work? Or it will be just another well-intentioned gesture that comes to nothing when the stadium lights go down. Time, and the real numbers of effective complaints, will tell.
Meanwhile, the predators are probably already making their plans.
