Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

So much has gone on in June I can’t even keep up with my emails, let alone blog to you about all of it. But, while watching a female fan of Costa Rica sob in the stands of the World Cup after Greece scored, it struck me that many of you don’t know the grizzly truth behind the World Cup, and many other high-stakes sporting events: they’re hotbeds of domestic violence and sex trafficking. There are certainly a number of programs and organizations that are seeking to utilize sports to spread peace, but the current state of affairs is a sad one for victims of interpersonal violence.

Back in 2011 a study was published, Beware, win or lose: Domestic violence and the World Cup, and its findings were shocking. When England lost in the 2010 World Cup domestic violence rates rose by 31.5%, and when they won…