Prostitution and human trafficking
In the Netherlands, human trafficking is understood to mean any form of forced services, with the victims often being forced or blackmailed into handing in their money. Human trafficking occurs in the sex industry, but in other sectors as well, such as horticulture and the catering industry. Among the subjects discussed in the debate on 16 November were the so-called police force monitor and the "pimp boy" issue. In the Netherlands pimp boys are called loverboys.
Police force monitor 2010
Once every two years the National Expert Group on Human Trafficking issues the so-called Police Force Monitor on Prostitution and Human Trafficking. How and to what extent did the regional police forces in the Netherlands tackle prostitution and human trafficking? Did they cooperate with other organizations in the judicial chain? Those were the key questions looked into in the monitoring process. The aim is to intensify the fight against illegal prostitution and human trafficking.
Performance of regional police forces
The Police force monitor shows that the performance of 12 regional police forces was up to par, whereas in 9 police forces there were points for improvement, such as centralising the supply of information in order to create one single portal to access supervision and investigation data. As compared to 2008, the police force monitor 2010 clearly shows enhancements. However, Mr Opstelten, minister of Security and Justice, is not yet satisfied. That is why he wrote a letter to several regional police forces in which he called for improvement.
"Loverboys"
Another item on the agenda was how to tackle the loverboy issue, which is high on the agenda of the Task force on human trafficking. For instance, the investigative service will make more use of the internet, because that is where loverboys are often active. Moreover, in Rotterdam the pilot project "Loverboys are cowards" was launched. The programme focuses on preventing and stopping loverboy activities and on protecting the victims from exploitation.
National approach
The minister pursues a national approach of the loverboy issue. The Rotterdam pilot project and other best practices provide a guide on how to deal with loverboys and their victims. This guide is meant for municipalities, educational institutions and investigative services. The best practices are thus spread all over the country, resulting in a single method to prevent and trace human trafficking.
Fight against trafficking in human beings: the Netherlands (information from the European Commission)
