When a dream turns into a nightmare: Serious human rights violations of adolescents and young football athletes

Abstract

Child labor, in conditions like slavery and human trafficking are real problems in various activities around the world, including sport. In the specific case of football, these serious human rights issues can be present in the training stage of children, adolescents, and young players, based on the exploitation of economic and social vulnerability, due to the young age of the athlete, maintained in the informal bond, in unsafe environment, without accommodation and training conditions, in a situation of neglect, far from family life and formal education. This article aims to identify the factors that can contribute to the characterization of work in conditions like slavery and human trafficking, in the case of children, young people and adolescent football athletes. As a methodology, we used a qualitative analysis of a specific case, as well as research into normative parameters and bibliography on the topic. The relevance of the chosen case, which deals with the characterization, by the Labor Tax Audit, of child labor, in conditions like slavery and human trafficking involving adolescents and young football athletes, is justified by the lack of studies in the area, due to the small history of the Labor Tax Audit and the scarce bibliography on the subject. In view of what has been analyzed, we see the need to look, from the perspective of labor law and human rights, at work relationships between adolescents and young football athletes, and to look for ways to prevent these serious rights violations.