Three charged with forcing girl, 16, into prostitution; 12 clients also arrested

Police in Schiedam, Zuid-Holland arrested three men earlier this week for the forced prostitution of a 16-year-old girl. The case came to light in May, 2014, when one of the men reported the case to authorities after feeling remorseful for his involvement. The men, aged 20, 23 and 26, are accused of keeping the girl locked up in a cellar and selling her for sex over the internet. Twelve clients between 20 and 65-years-old were also arrested around the country. “Besides the fact that the girl was underage, she also had visible injuries, such as bruises,” police said in a statement. Despite this, the signs of abuse did not prevent the men from having sex with her, investigators said. All of the clients were interrogated and provisionally released, but will be brought back for additional hearings. The three men accused of holding the girl against her will were arrested on Monday. Two are from Rotterdam and Vlaardingen, while the third has no fixed address. Two of the men were arraigned on Thursday and remanded into custody for at least two weeks.