Children abused for prostitution live among us.

In our work with victims of human trafficking and with people who have experience of prostitution, we frequently find that they had already, before turning eighteen, sold sexual acts in exchange for money, a place to sleep, drugs or something else. At the same time, official identification of children abused for prostitution in Slovenia is almost non-existent.

To find out what the real situation in Slovenia is, in 2022 we surveyed professionals working with children and young people about whether they encounter children with experience of being abused for prostitution.

The total number of children, whom professionals suspected of being victims of prostitution came, counting the lowest figure in each numerical band, to 120 (up to 248); they were confident about a total of at least 49 children (up to 186), of whom 7 children under the age of 15.

Because our annual preventive work reaches a large number of young people spread across different regions of Slovenia, in 2023 we decided to build on the 2022 study and this time ask children and young people themselves — those attending our discussion sessions in youth care institutions, residential groups, youth homes, secondary schools, grammar schools and faculties — about their experience of being recruited into sexual activity, of sharing sexual content, and their actual experience of performing sexual acts in exchange for money or other benefits (a place to stay, dinner, drugs and so on). We wanted to check whether the abuse of children for prostitution is present among young people in Slovenia, and so to corroborate the findings of the study among professionals.

The 2023 study was completed by 2,352 people, among them 724 boys, 1,615 girls and 13 people who did not state their gender. The results shook us, expectations notwithstanding, because in those workshops and discussion sessions we came face to face with as many as 75 children who had been abused for prostitution; the youngest was just 10 years old at the time of the abuse, and 26 of the children were under 15. Only 36% had told anyone about their experience, most often friends; sadly, just one person said they had reported it to the police.

In both the attempts to obtain material and recruit young people into sexual activity, and the actual experiences of performing sexual acts in exchange for benefits, we found what we consider an important piece of data — one that will shape our future prevention work and should guide schools and everyone who comes into contact with young people. A substantial proportion of those who tried to obtain material, or who offered something in exchange for sexual activity, were children themselves (39% of those offering something in exchange for video material, 30% of those offering something in exchange for sexual acts, and 48% of those the young people met and performed sexual acts for in exchange for something). So this is still, for the most part, abuse of children by adults — but attempted and actual abuse by peers is statistically significant too.

In our view both studies provide the foundation for further research into this issue — both in terms of what is needed to improve prevention, detection and protection of young people from abuse for prostitution in Slovenia, and in terms of finding out who is exploiting young people, where they get their contacts, who the intermediaries between children and “clients” are, where the abuse happens, and why perpetrators are not prosecuted.

We believe it is high time that both professionals (social care, education, police, prosecutors, the judiciary) and politicians acted, and that together with specialist non-governmental organisations they drew up a strategy for preventing prostitution — of children first, and then of adults. It is time to amend the criminal law so that prosecution of perpetrators, including those who buy sexual services, is swift and effective; and to improve the identification system so that children abused for prostitution are recognised and offered support and help, so that the consequences of traumatic experience are addressed as early as possible and children and young people get the chance of a safe life, free of abuse and violence.