For a few years now, it has become increasingly clear that in Germany, the Loverboy method has become one of the main methods used by pimps to exploit women in prostitution. In the 2020 Federal Situation Report by the police, nearly a quarter of the victims in the investigations reported having been brought into prostitution through the Loverboy method.
The Loverboy method involves feigning a romantic relationship to create an emotional dependency between the victim and the perpetrator, leading them through deception and manipulation into prostitution, where they are exploited. The insidious part of this method is the manipulation that makes the victim believe they are choosing prostitution of their own accord to help their boyfriend out of financial trouble. The victim believes in a future together and that their time in prostitution is only temporary. The victim does not see themselves as a victim.
The Loverboy relationship starts like a dream.
The boyfriend is attractive and pampers his chosen one with attention and generous gifts. There are no problems, and money seems to be no issue. Skillfully, he creates a world where no one else matters except the couple, causing the woman to become increasingly isolated from others. The boyfriend positions himself as the new center of the victim’s life and plays the savior for any potential problems. After this harmonious initial phase, financial problems suddenly arise in the Loverboy’s life, such as very high debts or a hospital bill for a family member abroad. He pretends to be very embarrassed about his debts but urgently needs the victim’s support. The victim is emotionally compelled to help, as the Loverboy had initially presented himself as a helper and savior, having given many expensive gifts. Additionally, the victim feels great love for the boyfriend and desperately wants to help. Step by step, the Loverboy maneuvers the victim into prostituting herself, initially just once and then repeatedly, as “that one time was so successful,” until she is working in a brothel for him daily. The victim believes she is there voluntarily and clings to the idea that it is only temporary until the boyfriend’s debts are paid off. However, new financial problems will continually arise in his life.
A Perfidious Strategy of Brainwashing and Dependency
The Loverboy method is a meticulously planned strategy of emotional abuse and dependency. The Loverboy’s alternating behavior creates a trauma bond. The perpetrators work with the victims’ desires and longings, giving them a taste of these desires and then taking them away again, with the prospect that things could return to how they were if the victim just behaves in a certain way. The perpetrators are sometimes loving and caring, and other times violent and aggressive. The victim tries to return to the state of the loving relationship through their behavior.
Many pimps in Germany use this method, sometimes deceiving and exploiting several victims in parallel.
The method is not limited to underage girls but is also generally used on older women.
