Loverboy

A loverboy is a male in his 20s or 30s who seduces younger girls and enforces prostitution upon them once they completely trust him. Men who do this are usually very kind and caring towards their victims and show no remorse for their actions.

Used methods

A typical method that loverboys use is singling out girls who are anxious about themselves or simply those that are shy. Once they got their target, they approach and present themselves as perfect boyfriends. The naive and young girls believe this and they instantly fall in love. It is very common that the girls start emotionally and financially depending on the loverboy and this is exactly what they want. Once the girl is completely dependent on the loverboy he takes her to a foreign country and forces her into doing a number of illegal things.

Loverboys also regularly use physical and mental abuse, as well as gang rape to intimidate the girls into submission. Usually they have associates and connections that help them transport the kidnapped victims from one country to the other.

Victims

Girls that fall victim to a loverboy are usually never found again. As soon as they cross the border of the foreign country, they receive a new identity and a new look and nobody is able to recognize them. Either out of fear or because they do not speak the language, the girls often keep quiet and don’t tell anybody about their situation.

The victims vanish without leaving any traces and it is already too late when the families report that they are missing. It is nearly impossible to find a missing person if they are taken to another country.

Police action

Many countries are affected by this problem and the police are not able to do anything against it. Actions against loverboys have resulted in a few arrests, but there are still many of them.

As there are no traces, the government and law enforcers are helpless in finding the kidnapped girls. Without enough evidence, the apprehended loverboys can also only receive minor charges.

Countries where prostitution is regulated are very concerned with this phenomenon, as the girls are usually taken to these places. Countries that are affected the most are Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Latvia.