The Effectiveness of a Dutch Program in Preventing Criminal Exploitation

Due to the growing concerns about youth involvement in crime, the Dutch Government has recently provided substantial financial support to municipalities to prevent and address youth crime (Veiligheid, 2024). These funds are intended, in part, for prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing or preventing criminal involvement among young people. Aim of this study is to examine the effectives of the prevention program "Buit in de klas". Buit in de klas is a school-based prevention program for students aged 12-20) to prevent criminal exploitation. The program is offered at secondary schools, consisting of a film and an accompanying lesson, usually as part of lessons in citizenship. The prevention program aims to empower students to protect themselves and peers from criminal exploitation (Noord Holland Samen Veilig \& Garage2020., 2022). To achieve these goals, the program has three intermediary objectives. First, it aims to improve students' knowledge to recognize early signs of risk for becoming a victim of criminal exploitation. Second, the program seeks to increase awareness of the consequences of criminal exploitation and thereby to influence cognitions and foster more negative attitudes toward criminal exploitation. Finally, the primary objective of the program is to teach students help-seeking skills when they or their peers are at risk of criminal exploitation. The study hypothesis is that the prevention program Buit in de klas is effective in preventing criminal exploitation by increasing knowledge about the signs and consequences of criminal exploitation, enhancing empathy for children who are victims of criminal exploitation, and strengthening students' help-seeking skills.