Street Prostitution Gone Digital: How Dortmund's Midnight Mission Helps Minors Caught in the Web
Assistance for Children and Adolescents Involved in Prostitution in Dortmund
Last updated: 22.11.2024, 03:17 from Dortmund. Our website. By Dirk Planert.
Over the past year, the Dortmund Midnight Mission has provided aid to 53 children and teenagers involved in online prostitution. In response to a 16-year-old seeking help online, social worker Hanna Biskoping shares her insights.
From Streets to Keyboards: The New Face of Prostitution
In the not-so-distant past, minors can be found in Dortmund's North End, engaging in street prostitution. Today, that picture has drastically changed. Social workers venture onto the now deserted streets to offer assistance, no longer encountering any teenagers.
The switch from streets to screens has moved the hook-up between minors and exploiters to online platforms like eBay Kleinanzeigen and Markt.de, where instances of "Pocket Money Meetings" are frequently posted.
Helping the Next Generation: Securing a Brighter Future
53 children and teenagers have received guidance from the Midnight Mission thus far this year, with three of them under the age of 14. Most victims are girls, while the number of male and trans victims remains comparably low. It's unclear how many offenders have faced justice based on the available police statistics.
Hanna explains that the perpetrators often fit the profile of "Loverboys," young men pretending to be in love before coercing their victims into prostitution. "Typically, the root cause is a lack of love and self-worth," she adds.
Take the case of Fee, a 16-year-old who booked an online counseling session with the Midnight Mission after her 21-year-old boyfriend pressured her to solicit other men for money.
Reaching Out to Parents
Hanna also encourages parents to seek counseling from the Midnight Mission, following cases where children have been trapped in the online sex trade.
Recommended for Parents:Parents can anonymously access the Midnight Mission's counseling services by visiting their website or reaching out to their helpline.
Sources:
- Midnight Mission
- Police Dortmund
- Staatsanwaltschaft Dortmund
Related Efforts:In the broader context, local initiatives in Dortmund are actively working to protect vulnerable groups through advocacy, awareness campaigns, and specialized support programs. They focus on the "Nordic Model," aimed at reducing demand for prostitution and bolstering protection for women and minors, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies to combat exploitation and human trafficking.
Filling the gaps in the online monitoring and enforcement of underage prostitution remains an important issue to tackle in Dortmund, with local authorities encouraged to devote resources to targeted digital interventions in this regard.
- The online counseling services provided by Dortmund's Midnight Mission can be anonymously accessed by parents who are concerned about their children's involvement in online prostitution, as seen on their website.
- The Dortmund Midnight Mission, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and local initiatives, employs the "Nordic Model" in their efforts to reduce demand for prostitution and provide protection for women and minors, particularly those at risk of being exploited in health-and-wellness, general-news, and crime-and-justice contexts.
- The perpetrators of online prostitution often lead victims into exploitation using tactics similar to those employed by "Loverboys," young men pretending to be in love before coercing their victims, a phenomenon that has been increasingly observed in science and mental-health research on this issue.
