Two new forced teen prostitution cases put Limburg in spotlight

Forced underage prostitution in Limburg puts the southernmost province in the news again. Two girls, aged 14 and 15 from Kerkrade, were forced to work as prostitutes for six months, NOS reports. Two men from Heerlen are in custody. The men were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and prolonged sexual exploitation of two underage girls. Two women and a third man were also arrested, but then released after questioning. The women are suspected of "having drawn the girls into prostitution," Martine Bijker from the Dutch Public Prosecutor is quoted saying in NOS. The third man is believed to be one of the victims' clients. The teenage girls were offered as prostitutes on several sex sites and through a 06 number. The prostitution took place in several homes in Heerlen. There were allegedly also sex shows featuring the girls, De Telegraaf reports. Late last year, another case of teenage prostitution came to light in Limburg. In this case, a man was caught having sex with a 16 year old in a hotel room in Valkenburg. Her pimp was sitting on the toilet while this was happening. The police suspect that as many as 80 men had sex with this girl. Two of the suspects have committed suicide.