Several candidates for Danish parties running in the EU elections on June 7 want to make it as criminal to have sex with trafficked prostitutes as it is to steal a B&O audio system from the back of a lorry.

“It is a crime to abuse women who are kept prisoner. The customer goes in like a man and comes out as a rapist,” says Social Democratic candidate Britta Thomsen.

Denmark does not have a law preventing sex with trafficked women or other prostitutes. A trafficked woman picked up by the police can be given a three-month residence permit if she cooperates in finding those behind trafficking. If not, she is deported.

EU legislation is less strict. Trafficked women have the right to remain in a country for three months irrespective of whether they cooperate with police.

New law
New proposals are on their way from the European Commission to the European Parliament which would criminalise the purchase of sexual services from trafficked women.

“We will be working for this. These women are simply modern slaves,” says Thomsen.

The Socialist People’s and the Social-Liberal parties say they too will be working to have customers of trafficked women criminalised.

“The only way to stop this is to go for the customers. As long as we maintain a market, the kingpins of the trade will continue to force these women into having sex,” says Socialist People’s Party Margrethe Auken.

Opt-outs
Irrespective of whether the EU adopts such a ban, Denmark would not be forced to accede to it, as the country has an opt-out to legal cooperation within the EU.

“We have wanted to get rid of this opt-out for a long time as EU legislation is much better for women. So the opt-out should be lifted as soon as possible,” Auken says.