Brussels, 18/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has expressed concern that between 30,000 and 60,000 women right be the object of trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation (forced prostitution) during the forthcoming Football World Cup in Germany, and asks IFIA to firmly condemn trafficking in women. 'In its capacity as World Cup organiser, FIFA must also assume its responsibility to condemn the exploitation which sometimes, highly regrettably, accompanies the holding of sports events, and therefore to denounce activities that threaten human rights,' explains a Council of Europe press release. PACE adopted a report by Swiss Socialist Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold, who regretted 'that FIFA considers human beings to be a form of collateral damage which just has to be accepted. FIFA and its President Joseph Blatter have to accept their responsibilities.' Joseph Blatter has argued that FIFA cannot control what goes on outside football grounds (see EUROPE 9154). The PACE resolution points out that the Council of Europe Convention on action to combat the trafficking of human beings adopted in May last year has not yet been ratified by any Member States and therefore calls on Member States to ensure that 'the police treat women victims of trafficking in human trafficking as victims and not as illegal immigrants,' and consider the 'possibility of holding responsible those who consume services provided by victims of trafficking.'