Copenhagen sex workers call for safe rooms, Venstre party backs plan

A senior researcher says women selling sex on the streets of Copenhagen face a high risk of violence.

Candy, a sex worker in the city’s Meatpacking District, described being assaulted by a client who was dissatisfied with her service. Normally able to defend herself, she was kicked repeatedly in the head while onlookers—six or seven figures, mostly men—stood with umbrellas, watching as she was dragged around like a ragdoll. The attack only stopped when her friend managed to call police from the “Blue Bus,” a mobile unit patrolling the area.

Many vulnerable women currently sell sex between cars, behind dumpsters, or in basement shafts in the district, Candy told DR’s podcast Reden: Den evige jagt på kokain. These locations offer little safety, and if security guards spot them, they are chased away.

She and others are pushing for the establishment of designated sex rooms equipped with emergency alarms, where workers can meet clients safely. Such facilities would also benefit clients, many of whom dislike street-based transactions, and could help stabilize falling prices—now as low as 100 DKK (around €13) for sex or oral services, down from higher rates when workers collectively set prices.

The most secure option currently available is a red van operated by volunteers from The Red Van, but Louise Theilade Thomsen, a Venstre party member on Copenhagen’s city council, argues a permanent facility would be safer and more hygienic. She supports the idea, first raised in a roundtable discussion last year, and advocates for broader legal reforms to grant sex workers more rights, including the ability to work as employees—a move currently blocked by Denmark’s pimping laws.

Thomsen acknowledges concerns that easing restrictions could enable exploitation but insists current laws prevent workers from renting spaces, hiring security, or organizing collectively, leaving them more vulnerable. She also proposes allowing sex workers to join unemployment insurance funds, targeting those who choose the profession independently and are not street-based.

Theresa Dyrvig Henriksen, a senior researcher at VIVE, authored a June report showing that violence is a daily reality for many marginalized sex workers, particularly those struggling with addiction, homelessness, or financial instability. She supports the creation of safe sex rooms, ideally linked to health facilities with staff present.

“Women go with clients even when they feel unsafe because they have no other choice,” Henriksen said. “Their dependency makes them highly vulnerable to exploitation and frequent violence—from serious assaults to attempted murder. For them, it’s both everyday and every day.”