Human Trafficking in [Denmark Street Children in [Denmark] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Denmark] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Kingdom of Denmark [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Denmark is
primarily a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked
from Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic,
Thailand, Nigeria, and other West African countries for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation. In 2007, authorities noted an increase in the
number of women trafficked from Romania and Bulgaria to Denmark for sexual
exploitation.
- U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 [full country
report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Trafficking
in children in Denmark They come to Denmark from poor
Eastern European countries such as Rumania and Albania. Their families cannot
offer them a future. And one day, a stranger might come by, "I can give
your child a better life in Western Europe." And the child goes along.
The child is possibly sold to a ringleader, transported over borders under
the cover of darkness. The offer of a better life turns out to be a life on
the streets. Perhaps in Copenhagen. The children are schooled in crime. The
path to prostitution can be short. And the road back home very, very long. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
country was both a destination and a transit point for women and children who
were trafficked from the former Soviet Union, Traffickers lured victims with the
prospect of higher wages and a better life, then forced them into
prostitution, often withholding their passports. Authorities suspected
traffickers had ties to organized crime, specifically in Russia and the
Baltic countries, and subjected them to police investigations and
prosecutions. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001 [32] While the Committee notes
that financial and special assistance programs for single parents have been
established, including at the municipal level, it remains concerned about the
vulnerability of children belonging to single-parent families. Concern is
also expressed about the situation of children belonging to ethnic minority
families. Putting a
stop to human trafficking Human trafficking is a growing
problem in many Western European countries, and Denmark will now attempt to
gain control of the situation through a four-year, DKK 70 million (EUR 9.4
million) plan to battle the crime. The national police indicate that
half of the estimated 5,000 prostitutes in the country are foreigners forced
into the lurid business, and the new plan aims to make closer contact with
the exploited persons by better coordinating the 'street teams' that have
already been set up to visit and help the groups. In addition to the DKK 70 million, portions
of Denmark's foreign aid going to developing countries will also be used to
combat human trafficking from the points of origin. Minister to tackle human trafficking The
Protection Project - Denmark [DOC] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Women are trafficked to Denmark
mainly for the commercial sex industry. Children have been trafficked there
for the commercial sex industry and for criminal activity such as
pickpocketing and shoplifting. Before 1990, women trafficked to Denmark were
primarily from Thailand and other Asian countries. They usually came to
Denmark to work in prostitution. Since 1990, women from Eastern Europe and
the Baltic States are brought to Denmark for the commercial sex industry.
Currently, an estimated 6,000 women in prostitution are in Denmark; 2,000 of
them are foreign, and half of that group comes from Eastern Europe,
especially from the Baltic states (with a Russian background), Russia, and
Ukraine. One organization estimated that in the 10 years up to 2002, more
than a tenfold increase had occurred in the share of foreign women in
prostitution entering the Danish market.
The number of foreign women in prostitution in Denmark is considerably
larger than the numbers in Sweden and Norway.
A recent study undertaken by Save
the Children Denmark uncovered two primary purposes for which children are
trafficked to Denmark: for commercial sexual exploitation and for criminal
exploitation, such as pickpocketing and shoplifting. At least 20 cases of
this second form were detected from spring to December 2003. In that year, police observed that an increasing
number of boys, primarily from Romania, were being trafficked for criminal
exploitation. Many appeared to belong to the Roma minority. A combination of trafficking for both
purposes can also occur. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide One
in 12 children forced into world's 'worst forms' of labor: UNICEF UK UNICEF UK lauded the pledge of
developed countries, made more than 30 years ago, of allocating 0.7 percent
of gross domestic product to development aid but regretted that only five
countries today fulfill that promise -- Denmark,
Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Sweden. Trafficking
in children in Denmark They come to Denmark from poor
Eastern European countries such as Rumania and Albania. Their families cannot
offer them a future. And one day, a stranger might come by, "I can give
your child a better life in Western Europe." And the child goes along.
The child is possibly sold to a ringleader, transported over borders under the
cover of darkness. The offer of a better life turns out to be a life on the
streets. Perhaps in Copenhagen. The children are schooled in crime. The path
to prostitution can be short. And the road back home very, very long. A
Report on Child Trafficking - Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, Romania, Spain,
United Kingdom [PDF] [page 42] 7.3 TRAFFICKING PRACTICES
- AVAILABLE DATA -
There is very limited knowledge about the number of minors that are
trafficked to Denmark. It is definitely certain that there are foreign minors
in the prostitution milieu in Denmark, though not in large numbers, and that
criminal networks largely control this milieu. NGOs and police do not doubt
that they see minors in the streets, but there are no counter-trafficking
agencies in Denmark able to provide a general estimate of the number of
children who are victims of trafficking in Denmark. The increased monitoring
has not yet led to concrete data about the dimensions of the problem in
general or in relation to minors. There is knowledge of the problems
related to trafficking in minors in the individual police jurisdictions and
among NGOs that are working on the issue of prostitution. There are roughly
2000 foreign prostitutes in Denmark.15 About 10% of prostitution (both Danish
and foreign) is purchased on the streets. Danish NGOs working with street
prostitution do meet very young foreign prostitutes who appear to be minors.
Yet, they do not remain in the street milieus for a long time, as they are in
high demand. Customers quickly gather them up. Local police always stop the
prostitutes who appear to be minors, but they are usually in possession of a
tourist visa and money, as well as officially stamped identification that can
be purchased in the countries of origin. In the Danish media there have
been reports of at least four concrete cases of foreign girls having been
sold to prostitution in Denmark. Furthermore, recent research carried out by
Save the Children Denmark16 reports four other concrete cases of children
trafficked to Denmark for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This research
also includes mention to a single group of twenty foreign children: in this
case there is a substantial evidence indicating that they are victims of
trafficking for the purpose of economic crime (i.e. theft). Study Finds
Demand Is a Factor Driving Human Trafficking, January 6, 2004 Research announced by the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) January 6 says that demands of
the marketplace are a factor in causing human trafficking. Conducted by two
British researchers in selected nations of Europe and Asia, the study
suggests that the unregulated labor conditions of sex workers and domestic
workers, and the abundant supply of such workers are factors behind the
exploitation of migrants. The research was carried out
through interviews with employers of domestic workers in Sweden, Thailand,
India and Italy (and subsequently with expatriate employers in Hong Kong and
Thailand), and with clients of sex workers in Denmark, Thailand, India and Italy. The study also includes
interviews with non-employers and non-clients. Women
trafficking plan comes under fire In the year since the government
launched its much-touted initiative to fight international trafficking
of women for the sex trade, 25 women have accepted an offer of protection at
the Reden women's shelter before being deported back to their home
countries. Just one woman has accepted
an offer for help from a humanitarian organisation in her home country. The government
plan was aimed at helping women victimised by sex trade trafficking in their
home countries, to prevent them from falling back into an abject life of
prostitution. Social Affairs Minister
Eva Kjer Hansen admits that things are not going well enough. "The figures aren't very impressive. Trafficking
in Children to Denmark - New report published by Save the Children Denmark Very little is known about
trafficking in children to Denmark. This is primarily owing to the fact that
trafficking is a clandestine endeavour - particularly when children are
involved - and minors are often equipped with false papers indicating they
are more than 18 years of age. The victims rarely come to the attention of
the authorities; it is therefore impossible to completely document the extent
of the problem. [see report, below] Trafficking
in Children to Denmark - December 2003 [PDF] [page 3] SUMMARY - Save the Children has uncovered
two primary areas in which trade with children to Denmark is taking place.
The first area includes the group of children trafficked to Denmark for the
purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Interviews conducted with
organisations and individuals in Denmark and abroad led to the discovery of
three incidents of foreign children subject to sexual exploitation in
Denmark. In the course of the study, a further case was dealt with in the
Swedish courts involving an under-aged Polish girl who was abused in Sweden
and Denmark. Save the Children Denmark wanted
to interview the aforementioned victims of trafficking; however, via contact with adults with close
relations to three of the victims we were informed that the children were not
prepared to participate in such an interview. They do not wish to relive
their traumatic experiences via conversations with Save the Children Denmark. The other area Save the Children
Denmark was able to identify was a group of children trafficked to Denmark
for the purpose of criminal exploitation, where the proceeds from
shoplifting, pickpocketing etc. is often entirely or partially delivered to
e.g. a ringleader residing in Denmark.
Since the spring of 2003, the Danish police and the Social 24-hours
Services of Copenhagen (den Sociale Døgnvagt) have thus observed a
disconcerting development. According to the Social 24-hours Services, there
have been at least 20 such cases in the period from spring to December 2003. Furthermore, it is important to keep in
mind that a combination of these two areas, prostitution and crime, can also
occur; the children in these milieus lead vulnerable existences on the edge
of society where the distance from petty crime to prostitution is not great. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Denmark Street Children in [Denmark] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Denmark] [other countries]