The extent of human trafficking in Denmark

It is difficult to gain precise knowledge regarding the extent of human trafficking, both worldwide as well as here in Denmark.

In Denmark, the majority of persons are trafficked into prostitution. In 2007, social organisations offering services to victims of trafficking in Denmark had contact to 250 women which could have been potential victims of human trafficking. From October 2003 to August 2008, 150 women identified as victims of trafficking, have resided at women's shelters throughout Denmark.

The most recently published statistics regarding child-victims of human trafficking concern the period from December 2005 to December 2006, during which time 7 children were presumed trafficked.

There are many grey-zones when examining the field of human trafficking; potentially a great number of victims of human trafficking, for example individuals working in escort prostitution, are never identified by law-enforcement agencies or social services, and therefore are not included in national statistics. Information from various social organisations can therefore be utilized as an indicator for tendencies in the field of trafficking, but cannot be considered alone, when estimating the extent of human trafficking in Denmark.