MPs back age verification plan for online adult services ads

Dutch MPs have backed a plan to introduce compulsory age verification for websites advertising sexual services, to protect children from exploitation.

An amendment tabled by opposition parties JA21 and ChristenUnie would require website operators to check the identity and age of anyone whose image is used in an advert, by comparing photo ID with a photo taken when the order is placed.

The vote went against the advice of justice minister David van Weel, who said he “did not disagree” with the principle of the amendment but questioned if it was the most suitable way to change the law.

Van Weel advised MPs to wait until the cabinet produced its own plan after consulting the Council of State and checking whether the amendment complied with European law.

“The amendment is the fastest way to change the law, but sometimes you end up cutting corners,” he said. The Senate still has to vote on the law.

The child protection organisation CKM said it was pleased the amendment had been passed, after earlier attempts to solve the problem through a voluntary agreement failed.

Voluntary approach failed

An investigation by CKM found that 80% of minors in cases of exploitation and abuse were advertised on legitimate websites.

Major adult services sites signed a covenant eight years ago with the police and prosecution service in which they pledged to alert the authorities to signs of abuse.

The agreement followed the conclusion of a notorious abuse case in Valkenburg, Limburg, in which a 16-year-old girl was forced to have sex with 29 men in a hotel room after another man had posted her details online.

Shamir Ceuleers, head of the CKM, told Nieuwsuur: “These are basically victims of human trafficking. They might not be advertised as underage, but there are enough signs in these adverts that something isn’t right.”

He pointed out that MPs had been trying for five years to make websites legally liable for checking the contents of adverts before they were put online because it was clear self-regulation was ineffective.

“Parliament has been asking for regulation by law since 2021, and with good reason,” he said. “The Valkenburg case is brought up every time, but even today there are underage children [advertised] online and that is unacceptable.”