Nail salon trafficking conviction could aid victims and authorities

A ruling convicting the manager of two nail salons of trafficking eight Vietnamese women could have major implications for victims and authorities, the head of Denmark’s Centre against Human Trafficking said Tuesday, according to Ritzau.

Trine Ingemansen spoke shortly after a court in Helsingør sentenced the manager to three years in prison for subjecting the women to human trafficking.

“For more than 10 years, we have seen people exploited through forced labour, but it has not previously been possible to secure a conviction. This is hugely significant for our work,” Ingemansen said.

The centre assessed that 101 people had been trafficked in Denmark last year. Of those, 27 had been subjected to forced labour, according to the centre and the Danish Immigration Service. The cases involved nail salons, the construction industry, restaurants and cleaning companies.

The Centre against Human Trafficking reported 26 of the cases to the police. “We try to report every case to the police,” Ingemansen said.

Human trafficking involves recruiting, transporting, housing and keeping a person in a situation. Forced labour can succeed when a person is deeply dependent on their employer.

In the case decided Tuesday, the eight women had been lured to Denmark to work as nail technicians, as they had done in their home country. They were officially promised just over 30,000 kroner, but received no wages during their first four months. They were told they owed the manager money for flights, visas and other costs.

They were then paid to work at least 12 hours a day. In addition to food and accommodation, they earned between 5,000 and 7,300 kroner a month. The manager sent the money to their families and controlled the women’s bank accounts, leaving the women with only tips in cash.