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Factbook on Global Sexual
Exploitation
The Netherlands
Trafficking
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, 80% of prostitutes are foreigners, and 70%
have no immigration papers, suggesting that they were trafficked. (Marie-Victoire Louis,
"Legalizing Pimping, Dutch Style," Le Monde Diplomatique, 8 March
1997)
In the Netherlands, 33% of the prostitutes come from countries outside of the European
Union, this increases to 50% in the larger cities (Altink, 1995) ("Trafficking of
Women to the European Union: Characteristic, Trends and Policy Issues," European
Conference on Trafficking in Women, (June 1996), IOM, 7 May 1996)
Since 1990 in the Netherlands, the number of trafficked women from Central and Eastern
European Countries has tripled. ("Trafficking of Women to the European Union:
Characterisitics, Trends and Policy Issues," European Conference on Trafficking in
Women, (June 1996), IOM, 7 May 1996)
In 1994 in the Netherlands, 69% of 168 trafficked victims were from Central and Eastern
European Countries. (The Dutch Foundation Against Trafficking in Women, an NGO,
"Trafficking of Women to the European Union: Characterisitics, Trends and Policy
Issues," European Conference on Trafficking in Women, (June 1996), IOM, 7 May 1996)
There are at least 1,000 trafficked women in the Netherlands. (Altink, 1995, p.45).
("Trafficking of Women to the European Union: Characterisitics, Trends and Policy
Issues," European Conference on Trafficking in Women, (June 1996), IOM, 7 May 1996)
In 1994, many victims of trafficking to the Netherlands from the underdeveloped
countries had children, most of whom were left behind in the country of origin. Women and
girls trafficked from Central and Eastern Eruopean Countries, were less likely to have
children, probably because most of them were much younger. (IOM, 1995). ("Trafficking
of Women to the European Union: Characterisitics, Trends and Policy Issues," European
Conference on Trafficking in Women, (June 1996), IOM, 7 May 1996)
In 1994, the majority of trafficked women from Central and Eastern European Countries
had traveled overland, usually by car (IOM, 1995). ("Trafficking of Women to the
European Union: Characterisitics, Trends and Policy Issues," European Conference on
Trafficking in Women, (June 1996), IOM, 7 May 1996)
Of the 155 victims of trafficking assisted by STV in the Netherlands, at least 50 (37
of whom were from the Central and Eastern European Countries) were unemployed or had never
worked before leaving their country of origin. ("Trafficking and Prostitution: The
Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe," IOM, May
1995)
The Netherlands is one the most popular destinations in Europe of women trafficked from
Ukraine and Russia. (Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes," Associated
Press, 6 November 1997)
80% of the women counseled were from the former Soviet bloc. (Marjan Wejers, director
of the Netherlands' STV/Foundation Against Traffic in Women, Christina Ling, "Rights
Activists Rap Ex-Soviet States on Sex-Trade," Reuters, 6 November 1997)
Policy and Law
The definition of prostitution in the Netherlands is now based on whether there was any
coercion. Dutch authorities have even proposed a new concept: "full consent
to exploitation of the self." Dutch policy has been held up as an example at
almost every international conference. The Hague played a crucial part in drawing up the
European action plan in preparation for the Beijing conference in September 1995, where
the concept of "forced prostitution" was established for the first time a
European government level. (Marie-Victoire Louis, "Legalizing Pimping, Dutch
Style," Le Monde Diplomatique, 8 March 1997)
The Netherlands government, in response to increasing trafficking in women, amended its
criminal law in 1991. The maximum sentence for trafficking was raised from 5 to 6 years,
and to 10 years for the trafficking of children under 16 and/or accompanied by serious
physical violence. (Marie-Victoire Louis, "Legalizing Pimping, Dutch Style," Le
Monde Diplomatique, 8 March 1997)
The maximum penalty for alien smuggling in the Netherlands is one year. (Tass, 1995,
"Trafficking and Prostitution: The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central
and Eastern Europe," IOM, May 1995)
Official Response and Action
Although trafficking in women to the Netherlands and Belgium has risen police and
immigrant authorities do not consider it a large problem. ("Trafficking and
Prostitution: The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern
Europe," IOM, May 1995)
Prostitution
There are 250 officially listed brothels in
Amsterdam, Netherlands as of 1997. (Marie-Victoire Louis, "Legalising Pimping, Dutch
Style," Le Monde Diplomatique, 8 March 1997)
Most of the prostituted women in shop windows in the Netherlands are migrants from the
Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Ghana, Benin, Poland, Russia, the Ukraine,
Lithuania, Serbia, Croatia, and the Czech and Slovak Republics. (Licia Brussa,
"Transnational AIDS/STD Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe," TAMPEP,
1996)
Prostituted women in shop windows in the Netherlands pay rent for the windows, about
150 florins (US$ 90) a day. The woman waits for male buyers in a room with a window that
looks onto the street. The room contains the bed where she has sex and also lives and
sleeps. In some establishments two women share a kitchen, a room for eating, a bathroom
and toilet. At some sites the buildings comply with general sanitary and administrative
rules for the municipality, men patrolling the streets assure security, rents are fixed,
and neither minors nor victims of trafficking are officially allowed to work. In others,
up to four women may use the same window room, share a single toilet, an improvised shower
and no kitchen. In some cases, the women receive one towel and two sheets for use
throughout the week. On the average, the women work between 12 and 17 hours a day,
receiving from 10 to 24 clients, at a usual charge of 50 florins for 15 minutes sessions.
(Licia Brussa, "Transnational AIDS/STD Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in
Europe," TAMPEP, 1996)
The Association of Sexclub Owners has created an independent organization, Erotriker,
which issues Amarks of quality (a grading system) to brothels who apply. The brothels are
visited by inspectors who decide whether or not a brothel meets certain standards. (Jan H.
Visser, "Legalizing Dutch Prostitution; Dutch Preparations for a Different
Prostitution Policy, http://www/theblackswan.com/review/article7.htm)
There are an estimated 30,000 prostitutes in the Netherlands ("Sex tax Ticks off
Dutch," Associated Press, 14 October 1997)
The Phillippines, Thailand, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong are some of the
primary Asian destinations for organized sex tours from the Netherlands. CATW - Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific)
Policy and Law
Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, and has been defined as a form of work. 18 is
the minimum age to work in the sex industry. (Jenifer Chao, "Dutch Prostitutes May
Soon Be Taxed" Associated Press, 4 October 1997)
Parliament is expected to pass legislation to legalize and tax brothels giving the
government a portion of the profits from the Dutch sex industry which, excluding the
pornography sector, generates more than $500 million a year (Associated Press,
"Sex tax. Ticks off Dutch," 14 October 1997)
Psychiatric patients from Vijvedal Hospital are being allowed to buy prostitutes as a
form of therapy endorsed by Dutch psychiatrist Cecil aan de Stegge. Patients visiting the
Club d'Amour in nearby Maastricht had rates reduced from £39 to £24 by Madam Nathalie.
("Cut-price sex sessions - you must be mad," Christine Aziz, The Observer,
19 October 1997)
Official Response and Action
Prosex, an accounting office that opened recently to give prostitutes tax advice, helps
them register as self-employed "entrepreneurs" eligible for various deductions.
'Their clothes, mobile phones, travel expenses, even visits to the hairdresser can be
written off as business costs,' Prosex director Han Brugmans said. As entrepreneurs, he
said, about $11,500 of their annual income would be considered tax-free." (Jenifer
Chao "Dutch Prostitutes May Soon Be Taxed" Associated Press (4 October
1997)
Prostitution Tourism
Leaflets warning against sex tourism were handed out in airports in Belgium, France,
Germany and the Netherlands in July 1998, officials at the World Tourism Fair taking place
in France said. ("Campaign against sex tourism launched at Paris travel trade
fair," Agence France Presse, 26 March 1998)
Pornography
Policy and Law
The Dutch newspaper, NCR Handelsblad, printed the addresses of child pornography
Internet sites found during the investigation of an international child pornography ring
on the front page of its evening edition. ("Dutch see no easy control of child porn
on Internet," Scotsman, 23 July 1998)
Official Response and Action
Despite efforts to investigate an international child pornography ring based in the
Netherlands, there has still been no concerted united effort to banish child pornography.
The Dutch justice ministry blamed foreign-based Internet servers for continuing to display
child pornography on the web. ("Dutch see no easy control of child porn on
Internet," Scotsman, 23 July 1998)
Although almost all of the 15 European Union member states seek stronger
measures to combat pornography involving children, the Netherlands opposed Belgium's
proposal to make it a criminal offense to possess such material for "personal
ends". So the possession of pornographic videos of children will no longer be
regarded in Europe as constitution sexual exploitation and will be exempt from all
sanctions. (Marie-Victoire Louis, "Legalising Pimping, Dutch Style," Le Monde
Diplomatique, 8 March 1997)
Cases
In July 1998, a vigilante anti-pedophile group exposed an international child
pornography ring. The ring was found to be operating in the Netherlands, Germany, the
United States, Israel and Russia. Around 9,000 images were found in the Zandvoort
apartment of a formerly convicted pedophile, Gerrie Ulrich, who was murdered in Italy,
possibly by his business partner and partner in the child pornography ring. The cruelty to
the children in the pornography stunned many officials familiar with the sexual
exploitation of children. Some of the pornography was made with babies that appeared to be
no more than 12 to 15 months old. A child psychiatrist said that the children must have
been sedated because they showed no reaction to the torture to which they were subjected.
One film, titled "Oh Daddy," shows balding middle-aged men raping 5 and
8-year old girls. One girl appeared so lifeless she may have been dead. (AFP, 16
July 1998)
A Netherlands Justice Ministry official was fired for allegedly downloading child
pornography from a recently publicized Netherlands-based international child pornography
network with ties to Germany, Italy and the United States. (William J. Kole, "This is
Holland’s summer of shame," Associated Press, 29 July 1998)
Factbook Table of Contents
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Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation
Donna M. Hughes, Laura Joy Sporcic and Nadine Z. Mendelsohn
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