Author: Korsby, Trine Mygind
Title: Au Pair and Trafficked? Recruitment, Residence in Denmark and Dreams for the Future. A qualitative study of the prevalence and risk of human trafficking in the situations and experiences of a group of au pairs in Denmark
Summary: This report deals with au pairs in Denmark, and its aim is to determine whether there is human trafficking, or elements of human trafficking, in the situations and experiences of a group of au pairs. In this report, the Danish Centre against Human Trafficking aims to examine the situation in Denmark and the possible links between the au pair field and trafficking. The report thus focuses on arenas where the exploitation of au pairs may occur. Au pairs are vulnerable on several levels, and may be exposed to various forms of exploitation, as has also been pointed out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO 2009: 34). It is this vulnerability and susceptibility of au pairs in relation to their recruitment, their stay in Denmark and their subsequent experiences which will provide the focus of this report. The au pair field has changed significantly in recent years, from being a cultural exchange programme aimed mainly at Europeans who wished to spend time abroad and learn about another country's language and culture, to now also being very much used by people who want to travel to the West to earn money (Anderson 2000: 23; Vermeulen 2007: 126, 130; Stenum 2008: 58; Williams & Gavanas 2008: 19; Øien 2009: 9, 72). This 'new' group has different motivations and backgrounds than the 'traditional' group of au pairs, as they often come from a context of poverty and lack of opportunities in their home countries, which puts the au pairs at a greater risk of finding themselves in situations in which they may be exploited by others, such as traffickers. The idea behind this report is to uncover some of the issues that define and characterise the conditions of au pairs, particularly in relation to their recruitment, as it is largely in the recruitment phase that exploitation may commence and that human trafficking thereby may be initiated. The aim is not to provide an exhaustive description or quantitatively-based survey of the au pair field in Denmark, but to give readers an insight into some of the issues that may confront au pairs. In the report, the reader will meet 27 au pairs a small sample of the au pairs who currently live and work in Denmark and hear about their lives and experiences. The report focuses particularly on how these people became au pairs and the challenges and problems they have encountered along the way, but also on their experiences in Denmark. At the same time, the report also deals with the dreams and ideas that the au pairs have about their future, as an au pair stay may be considered a first step in their journeys as migrants. The report concludes with a review of indicators of human trafficking and an assessment of whether the situations and stories of the informants reveal indicators of human trafficking.
Details: Odense, Denmark: National Board of Social Services, 2010. 72p.
Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 16, 2012 at: www.servicestyrelsen.dk/filer/udgivelser/au-pair-and-trafficked
Year: 2010
Country: Denmark
URL:
Shelf Number: 126051
Keywords:
Au PairsForced LaborHuman Trafficking (Denmark) |
