In a study released on May 2, 2017, Child Focus highlights a constantly increasing phenomenon: teenage pimping. Also known as “Loverboys,” these young perpetrators use seduction to push minors into prostitution.

The study, carried out in Flanders, shows that the number of cases involving the pimping of minors has multiplied by six since 2012, rising from 10 to 60. Two-thirds of the cases are linked to runaways, and in 37 instances, the minor was abused by teenage pimps. To raise awareness and fight against this growing issue, Child Focus launched the platform www.stopproxenetes-ados.be, which provides targeted information for young people, their parents, and professionals involved.

The study was conducted at the request of the Flemish Minister of Welfare, Public Health and Family, Jo Vandeurzen. For now, it is only available in Dutch on the Child Focus website.

In 2012, based on the observation that no reliable statistical data existed to measure the Loverboy phenomenon, the Samilia Foundation and ECPAT had already proposed a study on the subject. At that time, it was not possible to obtain the necessary funding. As a result, the analysis was not carried out, but we had identified the following observations:

• Because prostitution of minors is illegal, it is highly clandestine and therefore difficult to analyze.
• Minors, in their vulnerable situation, do not speak up about their condition.
• Prostitution increasingly takes place online through chat systems.
• Tactics such as grooming (soliciting minors online to manipulate them into providing sexual favors) and Loverboy methods (using emotional manipulation to coerce a young person into prostitution) are being used more and more to exploit minors.

At the time, around fifteen cases of prostitution involving minors were recorded each year by police services. It was already clear that this represented only the tip of the iceberg and that a more in-depth study was urgently needed regarding minors in situations of sexual exploitation in Belgium. Where and how are they recruited? What are their geographical, social, and economic backgrounds? What kinds of prostitution are involved?

Our goal was to alert authorities to this growing phenomenon in order to implement effective prevention work.

Child Focus hopes to soon conduct a similar study for French-speaking regions, which we strongly encourage. Indeed, the exploitation of minors constitutes a serious violation of children’s rights, and many adults in prostitution were already in that situation before the age of 18.