Say “Holland” or “The Netherlands” and we think of tulips, good
cheese, and an upright, hard-working population engaged in
international trade for centuries. Most Dutch match that
description, but more than a few are engaged in a thoroughly
despicable activity: a child sex and pornography ring.
The uncovering of the ring by law enforcement agencies has led
in recent days to 33 arrests worldwide, including 13 in the
Netherlands (and eight in the U.S). One Dutch citizen is accused of
sexual assaults on 67 children.
According to the State Department’s 2011 report on trafficking
in persons, “the Netherlands is primarily a source, destination,
and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex
trafficking.”
Dutch prosecutors asked for a ban on a pedophile group named
“Martijn” which advocates consensual sex between adults and
children. In a court hearing in the city of Assen, they contended,
“Its banning and dissolution are necessary to avoid a dangerous
situation for society.” They said the group created “a sub-culture
in which sexual relations between adults and children are tolerated
and even glorified.”
In what at first glance seems to be a peculiarly contrary
position, the Dutch Ministry of Justice has opposed the requested
ban, claiming that the “Martijn” group’s activities were not
illegal under Dutch law. Its attorney claims protection under
“freedom of expression.”
With the indulgence of the Ministry of Justice, it’s little
wonder that pedophiles in the Netherlands seem to find it
relatively easy to “express themselves.” Why is this so? The
indulgence is not new. In Fall 1998, an investigation by the
Netherlands’ State Secretary of Justice into an Amsterdam brothel
linked senior politicians and justice officials to the sexual abuse
of young boys. One of the perpetrators identified in that
investigation by a young male victim was Joris Demmink, the current
Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice — the same government
body that opposes banning “Martijn,” the child sex promotion
group.
In the mid 1990s while in Turkey, Demmink sexually assaulted
numerous boys between the ages of 12 and 16, according to Adèle van
der Plas, Dutch attorney for two of the victims. The victims of his
attacks have come forward and demanded prosecution. She says that
one victim was 12 at the time he was brought by a police officer to
Demmink’s chambers, where he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by
Demmink. Another boy was 14 at the time he was brought to Demmink
and assaulted. Recently, a third child victim, a Turkish boy, has
come forward.
Van de Plas says, “It’s an outrage that Demmink has not been
held to account for his crimes against children. Demmink’s
perversion of Dutch justice to protect himself is an offense to any
standard of basic decency. I hope our friends in other countries
become aware of what’s happening and raise their voices in
protest.
“We cannot allow Demmink’s offenses to be quietly hidden away.
We must demand his public accountability in a court of law.”
The allegations against Demmink raise serious issues, not only
for the Netherlands, but for allied countries including the United
States. How much credibility can joint anti-child sex trafficking
activities have if a key enforcement official may be implicated in
such activities and, at the same time, is in a position to block
inquiries of the allegations against him?
Why has he not brought to court to face justice both as to his
own behavior and his apparent ability to protect groups such as
“Martijn”?
U.S. officials need to ask some sharp questions. The offices at
the Departments of State and Justice that are concerned with child
trafficking, as well as corresponding committees in Congress, need
to look into this. The Netherlands is a long-time ally, but the
Dutch government needs to know that it must no longer turn a blind
eye to this international children sex ring — apparently centered
on it shores. This means the accusations against Demmink must be
subjected to full public scrutiny.
Mr. Hannaford is a member of the Committee on the
Present Danger.
