LOVER BOYS

The story of Ibrahim, a Dutch-Moroccan man tackling the taboo problem of sex-trafficking within his community.

"It is a term too lovely to convey the horror of their actions: buying girls gifts and fancy clothes with the aim of gradually establishing a tighter grip over their lives and eventually forcing them into prostitution.

In the Netherlands, many 'Lover Boys' - and some of their victims - are of Moroccan origin. It was this connection to the country of my own roots that inspired me to gather more information on them and their practices.

'Lover Boys' often seduce girls with gifts and promises of easy money. But when those girls are from their own community, they also abuse the culture of that community for their own ends. Once a girl from that community has lost her virginity to a 'Lover Boy' she has little choice but to stay with him for the other men in her community are unlikely to befriend or marry her. “ Ibrahim Wijbenga

Ibrahim, is a courageous Dutch-Moroccan social worker in the Netherlands who is tackling the high incidences of sex-trafficking of young Dutch girls by their so-called 'boyfriends' - the Lover Boys - the majority of whom are Dutch-Moroccan.

Source: Aljazeera

I'm sure we can relate this story to what's happening to young girls in our own societies.