An international organization used some of this funding to trafficking; however, they did not prevent unregistered agencies repatriate six victims. Observers commended the government from luring victims from overseas, or registered agencies from for funding the repatriation of Czech victims and foreigners, engaging in trafficking of victims within Czech Republic. To but reported government funding for voluntary returns was increase foreign workers’ awareness of their rights, the MLSA insufficient given the demand. The MLSA provided an additional and the labor inspection office websites published information 27.5 million koruna ($1.3 million) to support the integration in multiple languages about laws governing the employment of foreigners and victims of trafficking, which included funding of foreigners. In cooperation with the Thai embassy, the MLSA for welfare benefits provided by NGOs to trafficking victims conducted a training on labor rights for Thai nationals working not in the MOI program. Some experts noted a lack of funding in massage parlors. for victim housing, especially female victims with more than one child. DENMARK TRAFFICKING PROFILE Authorities provided victims with a 60-day reflection period, As reported over the past five years, Czech Republic is a source, during which victims received care and determined whether transit, and destination country for women and children to cooperate with law enforcement; victims with a medically subjected to sex trafficking and a source, transit, and destination recognized disability, including trauma, received an additional country for men and women subjected to forced labor. Women, 30 days. Under the law, victims could not be deported, arrested, girls, and boys from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, or fined for offenses that were committed as a result of being Romania, Bulgaria, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Vietnam are trafficked, such as previous illegal stays in the country, current subjected to sex trafficking in Czech Republic and also transit overstays, or false documents, during this period. Foreign through Czech Republic to other European countries where they victims accepted into the victim care program by MOI’s crime are subjected to sex trafficking. Men and women from Czech prevention department could receive temporary residence and Republic, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Mongolia, work visas for the duration of relevant legal proceedings. Upon Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, and Vietnam are subjected to conclusion of court proceedings, victims could apply for long- forced labor in Czech Republic, typically through debt bondage, term residency; no new victims received long-term residency in the construction, agricultural, forestry, manufacturing, in 2017, compared with one victim in 2016 and none in 2015. and service sectors, including in domestic work. They may also transit through Czech Republic to other countries in Some experts criticized the Refugee Facility Administration (RFA) Europe where they are exploited. Most identified victims in for charging a daily fee to some migrants for stays in transit zones; the country are Czech, although law enforcement reported an such fees increase the vulnerability of potential victims. The RFA increase in EU victims. Romani women from Czech Republic implemented a system where potential victims identified in an are subjected to forced prostitution and forced labor internally entrance interview for asylum-seekers were removed from the and in destination countries, including the UK. Most traffickers transit zone and referred to NGOs for services; the RFA did not are Czech citizens, and foreign traffickers often recruit victims report identifying any victims in the transit zones. from their own home countries and work in cooperation with local Czech citizens. Law enforcement report an increase in Victims had the legal option of seeking court-ordered “marriages of convenience” between Czech women and non- compensation from their traffickers in both civil and criminal EU men that involve sex trafficking. Private, unregistered labor proceedings, although such restitution was rare as victims often agencies often used deceptive practices to recruit workers from feared retribution from their traffickers during criminal cases abroad as well as from inside the country. and could not afford attorney fees for a civil suit. To seek civil damages, the law required a finding of criminal misconduct against the defendant. The government did not report any victims who received compensation in 2016 or 2017. NGOs reported concern about potential trafficking victims in custody, DENMARK: TIER 1 but there were no reports the government penalized identified victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being The Government of Denmark fully meets the minimum subjected to trafficking. standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during PREVENTION the reporting period; therefore Denmark remained on Tier 1. The government maintained prevention efforts. The MOI The government demonstrated serious and sustained efforts chaired an inter-ministerial body that coordinated national by continuing to implement its 2015-2018 national action efforts and implemented the 2016-2019 national strategy. A unit plan and allocating significant funding for anti-trafficking in the MOI served as the national rapporteur and prepared a measures. For the second year in a row, the government provided comprehensive annual report on patterns and programs, which trafficking victims temporary residence under section 9(c)5 of it released publicly. The government continued to fund an the Danish Aliens Act, which gives authorities the ability to stay NGO-run hotline to identify victims of trafficking and domestic deportation for victims to assist in an investigation. Although violence, which operated six hours per day on weekdays. The the government meets the minimum standards, it continued law did not criminalize confiscation of workers’ passports. MOI to focus on foreign trafficking victims’ illegal immigrant status, funds from the 1.65 million koruna ($79,000) for the victim often incarcerating them during review of their status and assistance program were available for prevention campaigns repatriating non-EU resident victims to their countries of and field work; the government-funded NGOs to conduct a origin without proper screening. This impeded the ability of public awareness campaign targeted at individuals vulnerable to law enforcement to pursue traffickers, left victims vulnerable trafficking and exploitation, which involved leaflets distributed to re-trafficking, and made victims hesitant to come forward on public transit and advertisements posted in subway stations. and work with police. Victim identification methods were Regulations imposed on employment agencies recruiting difficult to implement and involved NGO partners too late short-term labor from abroad helped reduce vulnerabilities to in the process. In the last six years, only five victims had been 164 DENMARK granted asylum, despite the government officially identifying PROTECTION more than 500 victims; one victim was granted asylum during The government maintained efforts to protect victims, but did the reporting period. not make improvements concerning detention of potential victims or the forced repatriation of undocumented victims. Authorities identified 98 trafficking victims in 2017, compared with 121 victims in 2016. Of these, 86 were sex trafficking victims, one was labor trafficking, five were forced to commit crimes, three were trafficked for other forms of exploitation, and three were not registered. Eight victims were men, 86 were women, and four identified as transgender. Three of the identified victims were minors (one of sex trafficking, one of forced criminal activity, and one of which the type of trafficking was not registered), compared with eight in 2016. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DENMARK Of those identified, one was Danish, compared with zero in Increase incentives for all victims to cooperate in the 2016. Government guidelines for identifying victims required prosecution of traffickers, including by permitting temporary the involvement of multiple government and law enforcement residency for victims while they assist law enforcement; more agencies, requiring several interviews of victims who were vigorously prosecute trafficking offenses and convict sex and kept in detention before referral to NGOs. The government labor traffickers; sentence traffickers in accordance with the maintained a list of indicators for police to reference for initial gravity of the offense; cease penalization of victims for crimes identification and procedures to guide officials in proactive committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking, victim identification. Each police district appointed a trafficking such as migration offenses, including assessing if new guidelines expert, and when police suspected they had a victim in custody, concerning withdrawal of charges against trafficking victims they were required to call CMM to interview suspected victims. prevent their penalization and detention; strengthen and CMM was responsible for formal identification of victims of streamline victim identification procedures, including expanding Danish or EU origin or who were documented migrants, and law enforcement efforts to proactively identify and expeditiously immigration services were responsible for formal identification