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What are we seeing and hearing in the media about child protection and human trafficking? What is the media missing? This project will explore this question and hopes to fill in the gaps. We aim to increase the amount and improve the quality of media reporting on human trafficking and child protection. We also want to deepen understanding and improve communication about the issues. In the run up to the World Cup fears were raised about an upsurge in human trafficking and child exploitation. Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) is taking a critical look at the media's role in reporting on human trafficking and general child protection issues during the World Cup and beyond. Media has an ethical responsibility to report in a way that is accurate, fair, and minimises harm. The challenge with human trafficking is that it is a complicated issue that is fraught with ethical dilemmas. Children's participation is an integral part of this project, which has at its heart the exploitation of vulnerable young people. Providing children, from a diversity of backgrounds, with the opportunity to evaluate these issues, brings about basic, clear questioning that is critical. The Saturday Star article "Trafficking of people, the Cup crisis that never was" (17/07/2010 pg.8) clearly illustrates the challenges faced by the media, NGOs and civil society in dealing with human trafficking. It quoted experts who now "denounced the fears" that human trafficking would be the "dark side" of the World Cup celebrations, and questioned the accuracy of the figure of 40 000 which was widely reported as the number of expected cases of human trafficking during the event. Inaccuracies and a degree of fear mongering around human trafficking in advance of the World Cup by some elements of the media, NGOs and civil society may have led to a misunderstanding of the issue, and perhaps even in some cases human trafficking fatigue among the public, the media and the international community. While human trafficking may not have occurred in the manner predicted in advance of the World Cup, it is an issue that exists in South Africa, present before, during and after the tournament. Media, NGOs and civil society must work together to ensure a full understanding of the issues involved if human trafficking it is to be tackled effectively. This project aims to work towards and encourage such an improved understanding. The media has a key role to play in educating the public on these difficult and challenging issues. Journalists are crucial in communicating the full story on human trafficking, to better inform all citizens about the reality of modern slavery in South Africa. Further information