You still don't know my name

This project tells the stories of migrant sex workers and potential victims of human trafficking in Denmark. This is a small selection from the project.

It is not known how many migrant sex workers and potential victims of human trafficking exist in Denmark at the moment.

They often change names, phone numbers and workplaces, which means they are hard to count and follow. Their situations vary and defining whether someone has been forced into sex work is difficult. Some know that they will be doing sex work when coming to Denmark and some don't. Some can travel freely between countries and some have their passports taken away by traffickers. Some are held by threats and violence, some by debt and some because they have no other choice but to stay.

Many of the sex workers live and work in houses spread out over all of Denmark. They stay for four to fourteen days, after which they drive or are being driven to a new house. Sometimes they don’t know where.

Most of the houses have extensive surveillance that allows the sex workers to see the clients. But often these cameras also transmit directly to the ‘boss’, and thereby becomes a way of controlling the sex workers.

House or brothel sex work is believed to be the most common kind of sex work in Denmark.

The people running the brothels often buy and rent out more houses at the same time. This means that many of the houses are connected in networks spread out over all of Denmark.

The migrants and potential victims of human trafficking have explained how they often feel scared and are subjected to violence.

In their annual report 2020 the Danish Center of Human Trafficking describe that the traffickers, especially in the Eastern European environment, have become harsher and more organized.

Former sex workers describe depression, PTSD-symptoms such as dissociation, sensory disturbances, flashbacks, difficulty with relationships and trust as some of the consequences of the job. Some also describe a stronger desire to have control, the feeling of being dirty and having anxiety.

This is a small selection of a bigger project.