Under the influence of violence or force
Under the influence of violence or force
Sometimes you will be subjected to violence or coercion. From clients, for example, but sometimes also from a pimp or your family. Below you will find information about force and violence.
Human trafficking
Are you forced to do your work? What ‘forced’ means is not always clear. If you work against your will, are locked up, treated poorly, or must give up money, you can be a victim of human trafficking.
How to recognize human trafficking?
Are you questioning if you, or someone you know, may be a victim of violence or must work under force? Ask these questions:
- Are there people who you would feel guilty towards if you stopped giving them money?
- Are you able to decide how often and how long you work?
- If you don’t feel well, do you stay at home, or do you still go to work?
- Do you have your own passport?
- Have you been threatened?
- Do you keep the earnings from your work, or do you give the money to someone else?
- Do you have debt with someone who brought you to the Netherlands (or another country)?
- Whose idea was it to start working as a sex worker?
- Is there someone who is threatening to inform your family if you don’t earn enough or want to stop?
If the answer to some of these questions is ‘yes’, please contact us. You could be involved in human trafficking.
Honour-related violence
If family members use violence because they think that the family honour has been damaged by sex work, we call that ‘honour-related violence’. This can be threats, abuse, kidnapping, forced marriage, and in the worst cases even murder.
What can you do?
Contact a social worker at Belle if you are the victim of (honour related) violence or are being forced to work. We can help you take steps in the right direction. You can also contact us if you are worried about someone else, and all our work is confidential.
You can also take action without us:
- Are you in imminent danger? Call 112.
- You can call the Hotline domestic human trafficking region Utrecht via 0800-2000. This number is available 24 hours a day.
- You can contact the human trafficking team of the police. They too work confidentially and are there for your safety. Call 0900-8844 and ask for a detective specialised in human trafficking.
- During your work you will see police regularly. Official prostitution zones often have regular community officers. You can always talk to them if you feel unsafe or are being forced to work. In brothels and the escort service there will be checks. During these checks you can speak to the police or the municipal enforcers, you will never get in trouble for this.
- Look at Meld Misdaad Anoniem. You will be completely anonymous, but you won’t be able to file a police report because of your anonymity.
File a police report
Maybe you are thinking about filing a police report, for abuse, for example, or rape, or human trafficking. It is always your decision to file a report or not. Before you decide to file a report, you can talk to the police with no consequences.
If you would like to do this, a social worker from Belle can support you during the process. We can explain, for example, how filing a police report will work. We can also come with you to the police or the courtroom. We can also help you request a damage fund. Or maybe you just want to talk to someone about what you have been through. Please feel free to contact us.