One of the biggest wins of the World Cup so far didn’t happen on any soccer field.
DKT International, one of the largest private providers of family planning and reproductive health services in the developing world, commissioned a special World Cup, Caipirinha-flavored condom whose packaging boasts Brazil’s signature colors -- and it’s flying off of the shelves.
Experts say that when a major sporting event, like the World Cup, comes to town, sex -- both the legal and the illegal kind -- inevitably increases.
To help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, nonprofit DKT International ordered the novelty item from Karex, the world’s largest condom maker, and it’s being distributed under the Prudence brand, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The company’s sales in Brazil have increased 25 percent by value
so far this year, Karex's chief executive officer Goh Miah Kiat told the paper.
The first delivery of 864,000 units sold out in 15 days. During a normal year, Brazil uses about one billion condoms, according to The Wall Street Journal.
While the green-and-yellow condoms offer a spirited and safe way to support the sport even when the lights go out, they’re also a stark reminder of the darker side of the World Cup.
As fans flood Brazil, so do the risks of sex crimes, particularly among child prostitutes.
The risk of child exploitation increased by 30 to 40 percent during the World Cups in Germany in 2006 and South Africa in 2010, the Associated Press reported. Experts expect to see a similar trend in Brazil.
Impoverished parents are often so desperate that they’re willing to sell their daughters for as little as 50 cents, Bill Horan, president Operation Blessing International, said in a press release emailed to HuffPost.
"These girls come from extreme poverty, a culture of social exclusion and a tradition of profound disrespect for women," Antonia Lima Sousa, state prosecutor, told CNN of the underage prostitutes.
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