NCJ Number
131725
Journal
Justitiele verkenningen Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: special issue (January/February 1991) Pages: 87-124
Date Published
1991
Length
38 pages
Annotation
The reasons for the murder of homosexuals by North African or Turkish boy prostitutes in Amsterdam during the 1980s are examined from a cultural perspective.
Abstract
Statistics indicate that one out of every eight murder cases in Amsterdam during this time period had a homosexual victim and that in one-third of these cases the perpetrator was a boy prostitute of North African and Turkish origins. The focus on these ethnic minorities results also from their frequent implication in other crimes in The Netherlands and a lack of explanation for its causes. European boys view prostitution as uninviting, whereas North African and Turkish boys possess fewer inhibitions and enter the work of prostitution because their sexual socialization enables them to do so without feeling stigmatized. For this reason, many boy prostitutes originate from the mediterranean cultures and subsequently resort to murdering some of their homosexual victims. An analysis of case studies shows that the major reasons for the murders are doubts concerning the boy's male identity and honor. However, the violence may also arise from the boy's recognition of an authoritarian father in his victim or the need for revenge for childhood humiliations. 32 references (Author abstract modified)