U.S. Department of State 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report - Denmark

Denmark (Tier 1)

Denmark is primarily a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked from Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, and the former Soviet Union (particularly Ukraine, Moldova, and Russia) for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Victims are transported through Denmark to other European countries. An international organization identified ethnic Roma children from Romania as having likely been trafficked to Denmark for involuntary servitude in the form of forced begging and petty crimes. Police reported an increased number of Nigerian women in prostitution in Denmark, some of whom are believed to have been trafficked.

The Government of Denmark fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government made significant strides in enforcement during the reporting period, achieving convictions in two major trafficking cases under Denmark's 2002 anti-trafficking legislation. Additionally, law enforcement officials hired a full-time social worker to act as a liaison between the police and NGOs in trafficking investigations. The Danish Government should consider expanding its prevention efforts to include domestic demand-reduction programs.

Prosecution

Denmark advanced law enforcement efforts against trafficking in two major prosecutions during the reporting period. Danish courts convicted eight individuals of trafficking, compared to none in 2003. Sentences ranged from one to three and a half years. In February 2005, police arrested three individuals for trafficking women from the Baltic countries to Denmark for the purpose of sexual exploitation; the investigation is ongoing. Denmark's 2002 anti-trafficking law criminalizes trafficking for both sexual and non-sexual exploitation. Danish law penalizes trafficking in persons (i.e., recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, receiving) with up to eight years in prison; it also penalizes the deprivation of liberty under a separate section with up to 12 years' imprisonment if aggravated circumstances are identified. The 54 police districts now each have a designated contact person for trafficking investigations. There is no evidence of government involvement in or tolerance of trafficking. The Danish police regularly conduct joint trafficking investigations with law enforcement authorities from other countries; in 2004, Danish law enforcement officials joined a Nordic law enforcement operation targeting traffickers of Nigerian women.

Protection

The Danish Government enhanced communications and relations between police and NGOs in 2004 by hiring a full-time social worker at the police's organized crime unit. In 2004, NGOs continued to receive government funds to provide victim services. During the reporting period, the lead government-funded NGO provided assistance to 29 trafficking victims. All police districts received guidance about how to identify cases of trafficking, how to address these cases, and how to provide aid to victims. Danish authorities did not jail or fine trafficking victims. The government offered victims a 15-day stay in Denmark to receive healthcare, counseling, and shelter (including guaranteed security) prior to repatriation; victims are barred from re-entry for one year following repatriation. To encourage best practices and develop contacts, the government in 2004 funded five anti-trafficking study tours for Danish NGOs to Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, and the Czech Republic.

Prevention

The Danish Government increased its prevention efforts and continued to implement its National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking, which is publicly available in Danish and English on the Internet. Since October 2004, the government's inter-ministerial working group on trafficking held regular meetings with NGO involvement. In spring 2005, a Danish research center under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Gender Equality created an informational pamphlet explaining trafficking victims' legal rights in several languages. The government continued to fund Save the Children Denmark, which combats child sex tourism. Denmark's organized crime unit developed national databases designed to enhance information sharing on trafficking cases between police departments throughout Denmark.