Research shows that approximately 20,000 Dutch men travel abroad annually to engage in sex with minors, both paid and unpaid.
Anneke Koning, assistant professor and criminologist at the Vrije Universiteit, is one of the researchers behind a study carried out by the university along with the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR).
Targeting young victims
Speaking with AD, Koning explains that 2.3% of respondents admitted to having sex abroad with someone under 18 (paid) or under 16 (unpaid) while they were 21 or older.
The results came as a surprise to researchers, who expected less than 1% based on previous European studies.
About half of these cases involved children younger than 12 years old, indicating deliberate targeting of very young victims.
Most of these incidents weren’t just a thing of the distant past, two-thirds of the men said the abuse happened within the last five years.
Two distinct groups were identified in the survey:
- Those specifically seeking children
- Those who “just want sex” regardless of partner’s age
Worryingly, many offenders indicated that they either don’t ask how old someone is or prefer not to know.
Some even mistakenly believe that what they’re doing is legal if it happens outside the Netherlands; but in reality, Dutch law allows authorities to prosecute these crimes even when they take place abroad.
A worrying number
The study anonymously surveyed over 9,000 men about their sexual behaviours and experiences.
Researchers estimate that if these findings were to be applied to the entire Dutch population, this would amount to roughly 131,000 to 171,000 perpetrators.
So where does 20,000 come from? Koning explains to AD that once researchers factored in that two-thirds of respondents claim the abuse occurred within the past five years, this amounts to roughly 20,000 cases annually.
These people represent a largely invisible population that authorities struggle to identify and address.
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Interestingly, about three-quarters of the men said they’d thought about getting professional help.
Researchers stress that more awareness is needed: this kind of behaviour is illegal, no matter where it happens. They also call for better tools to identify offenders and boost prosecution rates.
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