In Belgium 60 underage girls are forced into prostitution every year. That we know of. Most of them are advertised on escort websites on which they pose as adults. But no matter how thoroughly escort sites screen their ads to keep out minors, they can never 100% prevent this.

Child focus, the Belgian not-for-profit organization against sexual exploitation of children, set up a unique partnership with Redlights. Belgium’s biggest escort site representing 90% of the market with a staggering 152.000 visitors a day. Together they launched the XXXtra Age Check. An add-on to the age verification you must complete to enter every escort site. After indicating whether you are 18 or older a second pop-up appears. Now with a picture of a girl and the question: "But more importantly, is she 18 or older?" Now it’s up to the visitor to correctly estimate her age and discover this is anything but obvious. All to make them realize how difficult it sometimes is to know if a sex worker is of age or not.

The XXXtra Age Check quickly showed visitors it’s sometimes difficult to know if a sex worker is of age or not. That’s why they are advised to always double-check their age and ask for proof of identity if they have any doubts. And they can also fill in an online form to anonymously report a minor in a prostitution situation. This way we valorize visitors of escort sites as contributors to the fight against sexual exploitation of minors, instead of blindly stigmatizing them as perpetrators.

In total 20 different XXXtra Age Check pop-ups were created with 20 different pictures. Reaching 152.000 visitors a day on Redlights.be and Quartier-rouge.be. The XXXtra Age Check plug-in is still live and so far, a staggering 10 million checks were completed.

With 10 million visitors and counting this campaign unexpectedly turned into the most extensive data survey about this otherwise sensitive topic. Revealing only 53% of the visitors were able to give a correct answer. Real proof that there’s an issue with perception and confirming the importance of the campaign itself. That’s why Child Focus decided to share The XXXtra Age Check plug-in with their international partners. And it’s now being implemented across Europe to also help minors in France, Germany, The Netherlands and Greece. To reach millions of visitors a day and to remind them to always double check the age of the sex worker.