Netherlands can ban childlike sex dolls if they look younger than 12: Council of State

It is legally possible for the Netherlands to ban sex dolls that look like children younger than 12, the Council of State said in an advice to the Cabinet. Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz wants to ban sex dolls that look like children under the age of 18. But according to the Council of State, that would be difficult to enforce because it is challenging to distinguish between the body of a 17 and a 19-year-old.

The Cabinet’s chief advisor said that putting any age limit on what a sex doll can look like could lead to discussion. But the Council of State expects “that the distinction between pre-pubertal dolls and adult dolls is easier to make than the distinction between adolescent dolls and adult dolls.”

Minister Yeşilgöz said she wanted to ban child sex dolls because they are part of a subculture in which sexualizing children is normal. According to the Council of State, the core of the question that the Minister and parliament must answer is whether setting this standard is sufficient reason to punish the owners of child sex dolls. If the Minister explains better in her bill why she thinks a ban is necessary, the Council believes the bill will hold up legally.

Under Yeşilgöz’s plan, people who possess sex dols can face a prison sentence of up to a year. The sentence can be increased by three years for child sex doll traders who have made a profession or habit of it. The council considers this quadrupling of the sentence to be unjustifiable and disproportionate to the increased penalty for other sexual crimes. Therefore, The Council of State advised increasing the sentence by up to six months.

Child sex dolls are often made to look life-like and to have sex with. Customs intercept a few dozen such dolls every year.