Netherlands

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)

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.")

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)

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)