At least 6 underage boys forced into prostitution in Utrecht neighborhood

At least six underage boys were forced into prostitution by two men in the Utrecht neighborhood of Overvecht over the past years, the Public Prosecution Service confirmed to NU.nl after a report in De Telegraaf. Not all of the suspects' victims have been identified yet, and there may be hundreds of victims, the newspapers write.

The two suspects, Romeo A. and Nicolaus L., appeared in court on Tuesday. They are facing charges of human trafficking, rape, child sex abuse, and producing child pornography. According to the Telegraaf, the names of two thousand victims were found on one of the suspects' work phone. Many of the names were doubles, and the authorities believe there may be around a thousand victims.

The men first went on a date with the boys, after which they asked them if they wanted to work for money. Then, as a "test run", the boys had to have sex with one of the suspects while the other filmed it, according to the newspapers.

An investigation into these two men was launched in 2017, after neighbors reported suspicious behavior to the municipality.

A. and L. were remanded into custody until their next court appearance, scheduled for September. The police call on victims to come forward.