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Teenage pimps are on average 21 years old and have little education. These are some of the findings from a study by the VUB at the request of Flemish Minister of Justice Zuhal Demir (N-VA).
Most perpetrators are male, unemployed, have antisocial personality traits and virtually all have a migration background. They mainly come from Balkan countries such as Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo, but also from Chechnya, Morocco and Turkey.
In addition, most of them have a criminal past, with offenses such as theft, assault and battery, gang formation, serious traffic offences, drugs and weapons.
They usually do not operate alone, but in small, highly networked groups. They often maintain ties with other networks of teenage pimps and provide friend services for each other. Practically all victims are young girls, between 14 and 18 years old, but sometimes even younger. They are usually approached online.
Ankle band
For this reason, among other things, Demir calls on the federal government to exclude teenage pimps from the electronic surveillance system. “Let them make further victims at home with an ankle bracelet, given their profile? That is irresponsible,” she says.