Harnessing sport to combat human trafficking
Claire Walford
We interviewed Sarah de Carvalho MBE about why she started It's a Penalty and the difference it has made.
Where it all began
Sarah moved to Brazil in 1993 where she was deeply affected by the vulnerability of the street children she encountered in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Her concern intensified in the aftermath of the Candelária massacre, when street-connected children were brutally targeted by death squads. Determined to make a lasting difference, she founded Happy Child International, a charity dedicated to transforming young lives and helping children break free from the cycle of poverty. She led the organisation until 2006, when she entrusted its day-to-day management to local staff and returned to the UK.
However, during a visit to Brazil in 2013, she met a 16-year-old girl called Rose who had been exploited on the streets since the age of 11. Rose nervously explained that many of her ‘clients’ came from all over the world, and although she had resigned herself to a life of abuse and exploitation, she wanted others like her to be able to escape. At the time, Brazil was the focus of international attention as it was hosting the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the high influx of people attending the event meant that vulnerable children and young people like Rose would be at even greater risk of exploitation. Rose begged Sarah to do something.
On the flight home, Sarah resolved to dedicate herself to the cause, deciding to focus on upstream prevention work, rather than the on-the-ground work she had been doing for the last 20 years.
She spoke at an All-Parliamentary Group about the issue and discussed the challenge with the Metropolitan Police. The Police reminded Sarah about the extraterritorial jurisdiction laws that mean that the UK can prosecute its own citizens or residents for certain crimes committed abroad. The Police encouraged Sarah to run a campaign reminding football fans going to the FIFA World Cup about the issue, penalties for offenders, signs to look out for and hotlines to dial if they had concerns. The Police believed that if fans knew about the extraterritorial legislation and the consequence if caught, a high percentage would not commit the crime in the first place.
Following the success of the first campaign, Sarah saw there was a signficant opportunity to use major sporting events to raise awareness of modern slavery and exploitation and bring about positive change.
Since its launch in 2014, It’s a Penalty has run 23 major campaigns including campaigns around the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, 2016 Rio Olympics & Paralympics, the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics & Paralympics, the 2023 Commonwealth Games Birmingham, 2024 Olympics & Paralympics Paris, 2025 UEFA women's championships Switzerland and seven Super Bowls. Each campaign impacts an average of 180 million people worldwide!
It’s a Penalty’s strategy is to collaborate with key stakeholders such as high-profile sporting athletes, the travel and tourism industry (including hotels, airlines, transportation), sporting governing bodies/hosting committees, local and international NGOs, governments, corporations and law enforcement.
Sarah explains: “Major sporting events do not create trafficking in isolation, but they can increase demand, strain protection systems, and amplify existing vulnerabilities — particularly for young people and marginalised communities. We can harness the power of sport to educate about human trafficking and exploitation in order to prevent it, working in collaboration with sports authorities, local community leaders, global sponsors and the travel and tourism industry.
“Over the last 12 years, I have seen a real shift in organisations being willing to acknowledge the issue publicly and wanting to work together to do something about it. Everyone wants to leave a positive legacy in a host city.”
What do the campaigns look like?
For each major sporting event, the team at It’s a Penalty works closely with the host committee and local leaders to devise a city-wide strategy. All materials are developed in collaboration with survivors of modern slavery who bring their lived experience and ensure that everything is survivor-centred with local, relevant and contextual messaging. The materials always include QR codes or local helpline numbers to signpost potential victims to help and encourage sports fans to report concerns.
Sarah continues: “Exploitation thrives on silence, isolation and a lack of awareness. We never use fear-based messaging but focus on calm, accurate information about what is happening and what to do.”
Each campaign usually centres on a short, impactful film about modern slavery and exploitation featuring high-profile sports ambassadors such as Asha Philip, Usain Bolt, Gary Linekar, Mary Earps and Denise Lewis. The film is screened in-flight by international airlines coming into the host city. The team also creates informative digital signage, starring athlete ambassadors and the signs to look out for, which is displayed around the city.
What is happening around the FIFA World Cup 2026?
It’s a Penalty has launched its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in 10 cities across USA, Canada and Mexico. The billboards have already been displayed in Times Square in New York and Miami airport, reaching hundreds of thousands of people daily!
What else does It’s a Penalty do?
Since its launch in 2014, It’s a Penalty has grown and expanded considerably. Alongside its global awareness-raising campaigns, It’s a Penalty is also passionate about providing safeguarding training to staff and management in businesses across the world. To date, it has trained more than 12,500 individuals who work for airlines, hotels and restaurants to recognise and respond to the signs of trafficking.
It has also seen the potential of working alongside taxi and rideshare companies. It recently distributed more than 15,000 rear-view mirror hang tags, ensuring drivers have access to critical information beyond the duration of major sporting events. Additionally, it has trained more than 6,000 taxi drivers in both English and Spanish languages, providing them with the knowledge to identify trafficking indicators and the steps to respond and report effectively.
It’s a Penalty has a substantial advocacy programme which focuses on legal reform and systems change to protect children from violence, sexual exploitation and abuse throughout the Commonwealth. It is also currently working with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to create a unified framework of high-impact, low-burden anti-trafficking measures for UK major events, a key way in which its expertise is being used more broadly.
Sarah adds: “I am really hoping we will see a step change in how major events think about safeguarding. It’s a whole eco-system of reducing risk before and during an event. It requires cross sector collaboration – no single organisation can address it alone.”
How can Clewer supporters get involved?
- Look out for the FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign on socials and share it, especially with any friends who might be watching or attending matches – this will help extend the reach and effectiveness of the campaign.
- As well as FIFA World Cup 2026, It’s a Penalty is doing lots of activity around the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games so if you have links to the travel and tourism industry in Glasgow or if you are visiting the tournament, please go to https://itsapenalty.org/campaigns/ and share the information with your network.
For more information on the organisation as a whole, visit https://itsapenalty.org/
