THE World Cup is fuelling an “unprecedented demand” for prostitutes from boozed-up fans desperate for sex, a human rights expert has said.

This summer’s tournament being held across the US, Canada and Mexico is feared to be helping out the sex trafficking industry, with Mexico particularly vulnerable, Tatiana Kotlyarenko told The Sun.

Kotlyarenko says she has been to the US-Mexico border and described some of the things she saw as “horrific”.

Among them are venues that pose as strip clubs but are actually brothels that offer customers a selection of trafficked women.

The international human rights expert told The Sun: “I have visited both the US–Mexico border and locations across the border in Mexico and what I witnessed was deeply disturbing.

“According to my observations, criminal groups control different areas and are heavily involved in sexual exploitation.

“Many venues that appear to operate as strip clubs function as brothels in practice, with commercial sexual services readily available for an additional fee.”

Similar dynamics can be found in some strip clubs in the United States, particularly in private VIP rooms where additional sexual services are provided, she warned.

Kotlyarenko added: “Events on the scale of the World Cup bring visitors from around the globe, many of whom stay for weeks.

“These large sporting events tend to attract significant numbers of men traveling in groups, creating conditions that can increase demand for commercial sexual exploitation.

“Criminal networks or individual traffickers seek to capitalise on these circumstances by organising the movement of women and minors between locations or bringing them to host cities to meet demand.”

Huge spikes in sex trafficking cases have already been seen since the competition kicked off last month.

On June 23, police arrested six people in connection with a World Cup trafficking sting called Operation Red Card.

Rhode Island Police were targeting people suspected of engaging in commercial sex acts, child exploitation and more during the FIFA tournament, NBC reported.

One of the suspects allegedly exchanged explicit messages with an undercover police officer reading “u definitely 15” and “U cab br ur sugar daddy”.

Another dozen people were arrested in an undercover World Cup human trafficking operation in Homestead, a 50-minute drive from host city Miami.

They were arrested after allegedly responding to online advertisements seeking sex with children.

But Kotlyarenko believes these cases are only the tip of the iceberg for the thousands of fans at the event who could be preyed on by criminals.

She continued: “Human trafficking associated with major sporting events is a significant concern, affecting not only international victims but also individuals trafficked within the United States, including children.

“Large sporting events often attract predominantly male crowds, with many attendees gathering to celebrate, socialise and consume alcohol.

“This environment can contribute to increased demand for commercial sexual exploitation and related forms of exploitation.

“As demand rises, advertising online and activity across the sex industry often expands as well, including strip clubs, prostitution, and human trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation.”

Ahead of the World Cup in Germany in 2006, Amnesty International referenced a study that predicted 30,000 to 60,000 women and girls may be the object of trafficking for sexual exploitation at the tournament.

That figure is likely to be much higher for this summer’s World Cup given the increased size, duration and three main locations.

In May, FBI Director, Kash Patel, said the bureau would fight human trafficking during the tournament and urged football fans to report it if they saw it.

He wrote on X: “This FBI is working 24/7 to break sex and human trafficking networks worldwide, and we will be highly focused on the threat during the upcoming FIFA tournament.”

Just a two-hour drive away from Mexico City Stadium, where Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game, lies the sex-trafficking capital of the world Tenancingo.

Kotlyarenko said the scale of violence associated with sex trafficking can be difficult to comprehend.

“Some regions of Mexico have become notorious for sex trafficking activity,” she explained.

“During my visits, I encountered an atmosphere of fear, violence and lawlessness that was impossible to ignore. 

“The abuse, exploitation, and degradation experienced by many women and girls appeared pervasive and highly visible.

“What struck me most was the apparent dehumanisation of victims. Many young girls and women seemed to be living in desperate circumstances, treated as commodities rather than as people.”

Trafficked women and girls are viewed as disposable by their exploiters, she added.

There were also fears pre-tournament that due to Tenancingo’s reputation as a sex-trafficking hotspot, it could be flooded by fans.

In May, The Times reported how men from the town were travelling across the country to recruit poor and vulnerable girls as young as 11.

They and their families are showered with attention and money with the promise of a better life.

But the girls are forced into prostitution and unable to escape, the report states.

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