Copenhagen: 24 July 2008

Today was the last day of the series of lectures and the topic switched to the rights of Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transexual (GLBT) community in Denmark. Discrimination based on sexual orientation was a new topic the group hadn't covered yet, and differs from other minority issues that involve race, ethnicitiy or national background.

We first met with Peter Ussing of LBL, a Danish organization that advocates for the rights of the GLBT community, specifically monitoring instances of abuse and discrimination. Mr. Ussing gave a brief overview of the legal rights of homosexuals in Denmark, but then discussed the challenges still facing the gay community. Some issues include right to marriage, right to adopt children and defense against abuse and discrimination. Perhaps most interesting was Mr. Ussing's discussion of the "heteronormative?"attitudes of society and the need to better include the GLBT community in mainstream Danish life.

The next speaker was Kenneth Engberg, another spokesman from LBL who focused on hate crimes against gays. He discussed the problematic monitoring of hate crimes against gays and means of making police more responsive to acts of discriminatory abuse. He too talked about the current heteronormative attitudes of general Danish society and the necessity of combating "gay-bashing." From both speakers it seemed apparent that Denmark had made much progress in establishing equality for gays and lesbians (in fact being the first country to allow civil unions between gay couples) but still had much work to do in establishing complete social equality.

Thus concluded the first session of the 2008 HIA Danish Core Program, and onward we march to researching, interviews and paper writing.

Copenhagen: 23 July 2008

Today we addressed one of the hot topics of Danish politics. We visited the Red Cross refugee center in Sandholm. Touring the center we visited the kindergarten, the reception area and one of the apartments. The kindergarten teacher showed us the personalised folders with pictures made to remind the children of their time at the center, but despite this we were left with an impression of a very sterile and impersonal place.

Maja Rettrup Andersen from the Danish Red Cross Asylum Department talked to us about the different challenges asylum seekers face and the shift in political climate towards asylum seekers. An indicator of these changing attitudes was demonstrated by the dramatic decrease in asylum centres from 160 at a point before 2001 to now only five. During our time with Maja we discussed the Red Cross reliance on government funding and their mission of neutrality.

In the afternoon we met with Michala Bendixen from the Refugee’s Underground Committee. The committee works on behalf of the asylum seekers by advocating their cases and appeals through the legal system. She shared three case studies with us that personalised the stories behind asylum seekers. Reza, one of the people we talked about, was threatened in his home country because of his involvement with a student group that was critical of the Iranian government. Because he was unable to convince the authorities of the reality of the threats he wasn’t granted asylee status.

Next we heard from Sameer Al-Gamal who shared his experience going through the asylum system for the past seven years. He introduced himself as a previous expert on business and finance but a current expert on the asylum system. After being beaten and hospitalized in Lebanon due to allegations of a connection to Yassir Arafat, Sameer and his family fled to Denmark. Their initial request and court appeal for political asylum were rejected but they were finally granted asylum in 2006. One of the great tragedies of the experience was the fact that Sameer felt that he had spent the last six years doing nothing. He and his wife hadn’t had the opportunity to pursue higher education. Sameer was critical of the Danish government for failing to live up to the international conventions it had signed, as well as the Red Cross because of its inability to be simultaneously neutral and loyal to the government.

The organisational and personal perspectives highlighted the complexity of refugee issues. Having our eyes opened to the harsh realities asylum seekers face helped us to understand why refugee issues are so hotly debated in Denmark.

--Jessica Mar and Anne Sørenson

Copenhagen: 20 July 2008

Radmandsgade Skole in Nørrebro is one of Copenhagen’s “black” schools. Its library clocks don’t show the times in Paris and New York, but instead the times in Konya, Turkey and Islamabad, Pakistan. These times reflect the incredibly diverse students who attend the school—coming from Arabic-speaking nations, Pakistan, Turkey, Kurdistan, and Somalia in the greatest numbers. The principal of the school—in a quite frank style which would never be seen in the politically correct school style of the United States—told us the difficulties of working with these different groups of students. Her most serious qualms came from working with entitled Danes who she said were the equivalent of first-born Arabic children who say, “I’m a gift from Allah.” She concluded that “we have to cut them down a bit.” To her, the key to integration—the hot button word in Denmark—is education and language. Many Danes worry that a school as diverse as Radmandsgade will become violent with ethnic tensions and that their children will not receive the attention that they deserve with extra time spent on teaching foreigners Danish. However, from what we saw, Radmandsgade Skole seems to effectively teach students from all different backgrounds. And, of course, I will never forget Mikkel scaring little kids following us in the hallways.

Back at the Institute for Human Rights, we debated whether or not Elephantman and other anti-gay rappers who advocate the murder of gays and lesbians in their song lyrics should be censored by the state. Afterwards, a journalist from Copenhagen’s newspaper Politiken attempted to teach us how to write a journalist essay and pull us away from the masses of academic papers that we have written.

That night, many of the Americans—myself included—were shocked to come out of the salsa club and see that Turkey football fans were driving their cars up and down the street honking their horns non-stop and waving flags out their windows to celebrate Turkey’s victory in the match. Later, 60 cars were pulled up into City Hall square (usually covered with only pedestrians) and 300 Turkey fans had formed a mass of people around some cars upon which fans waved flares and shot off fireworks occasionally. The honking parade of fans didn’t stop until the wee hours of the morning.

--Seth Bergeson

Copenhagen: 19 July 2008

Walking through the gates of Vridsløselille state prison was where the topic of the day started. “challenges for Human Rights in the Danish Prison System and the counter terror initiatives”. Behind those gates, different criminals live their daily life serving their sentence. We were welcomed by a lawyer who gave us a general idea of what Vridsløselille state prison was all about. After getting our electronic devices put away and going through the metal detector, the session began. Marianne Secher who is the prison director told us about how the system worked within the prison. She explained how the prisoners were allowed to vote for one prisoner to be their spokesperson. She also explained more about how they at Vridsløselille State Prison managed to co-operate with the prisoners in order to get a nice tone between the guards and the prisoners. Marianne also discussed a bit further on the use of isolation.

We were shown around the prison after the presentation-we got to see the rooms where the prisoners work in. It was a surprise to some people within our group, that the prisoners had rooms with a nice bed and television even DVD was provided. We also had the opportunity of seeing an unvoluntarily isolation prisoner cell which in a way

After that we went to the nice little cosy prison chapel where the prison choir had prepared two songs for us. It was interesting seeing those men who each probably had committed a terrible crime that made them end up in State prison singing with such angelic voices.

The tour of the prison ended with a meeting with a prisoner who was had been in jail since he was 27 years old. He murdered 3 people, whereas 2 of them were finish police officers. He explained a bit about what his thoughts have been and how it is being in prison. He was concerned while being in prison of not falling back into his old ways, yet he was more concerned about going out knowing he would have a hard time paying back what he owes to the State but also his fear of not being accepted by the society. With all those obstacles standing in his way he was determined to do whatever he possibly could so he wouldn’t end back in prison for the sake of his 8 year old son.

After his presentation and the Q and A session we had with him, our group were divided in several minor groups discussing the punishments which are giving here in Denmark. Are the punishments given fair?

Getting back to our location, we were divided into groups where we had to discuss the questions further, our own personal view on prison and human rights towards prisoners. Keyword again here was integration-how can we involve the prisoners after their stay to get integrated into the society? How can we make society accept them and give them an opportunity in life after prison? And why is it there is not enough focus towards this?

For our last session of the day we heard from Jonas Christoffersen, an assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen, on the issue of counter terrorism initiatives and administrative expulsions. Jonas explained the arguments surrounding the highly controversial tool of administrative expulsions, highlighting the absurdity of the policies surrounding deportation and the look of recognition for immigrant rights. Jonas drew from current events surrounding the Supreme Court hearing dealing with the proposed expulsion of the two Tunisian immigrants who allegedly plotted the murder of the Muhammed cartoonists.

Christoffersen also discussed possible outcomes in the upcoming Supreme Court case. These outcomes ranged from expulsion to Tunisia, permanent detention, on an encouragement to remodel legislation dealing with immigrants who “pose threats to the state”. The constitutionality, and ultimately the viability, of such outcomes was analyzed with the ultimate consensus that the Danish Parliament needs comprehensive legislative reform in immigration and administrative expulsion policies that ensure the human right of a fee trail while simultaneously providing for national security.

The day’s sessions raised questions about the Human Rights of those who pose threats to society. At what point does the administration overstep its bands in controlling such threats?
What sectors of society/government can be found some protection for prisoners’ and immigrants’ rights? Such questions deal with complex topics but ultimately all decisions must be viewed through the lens of human rights.

--Sarah Haioty and Shayne Henry

Copenhagen: 17 July 2008

Today was yet another action-packed adventure for Team Copenhagen. The topic of the day focused on the role of religion and multi-culturalism in Danish society. The first speaker of the day was Toger Seidenfaden, chief editor of one of the most widely circulated newspapers in Denmark. Seidenfaden alleged that despite political or intellectual posturing, the question of integration is ultimately one of assimilation. According to Seidenfaden, Danish xenophobia extends not from economic concerns, but from the perceived assault on Danish democratic values. He postulated that by framing the Islamic religion as a totalitarian assault on Denmark, the right-wing Danish People’s Party has been able to succeed where other right-wing parties in Europe have failed. Seidenfaden also touched upon the idea that the rhetoric of integration has shifted to the right to reflect the success of right-wing parties in polarizing the issue of immigration. Team members also commented on how newly minted terms such as “a new Dane” or “second-generation Dane” serve as continual reminders of the secondary status of Danish immigrants.

Fortunately for us, the afternoon session was a little more uplifting. Former Chief Rabbi of Copenhagen Bent Melchior and Bashy Quraishy, the Chair of ENAR (European Network Against Racism), presented on the past realities of Danish tolerance and on their current projects in the areas of inclusion and acceptance. Melchior began by recounting the remarkable story of how the Danish citizens had spontaneously decided to rescue Danish Jews from the Gestapo in 1943. He was also quick to point out that the Denmark of today does not live up to the legacy of 1943. Both Melchior and Quraishy discussed the idea of “integrating with integrity.” That is to say, it is possible to become an active and ideal Danish citizen without throwing away aspects of one’s culture and heritage that make immigrants unique. Melchior and Quraishy stressed the dialogue and continued vigilance against intolerance were the tools by which a new conversation on immigration could begin.

After a short break, Team Copenhagen made its way to a tiny non-descript building in West Copenhagen. A bright yellow sign outside had an advertisement for quality furniture. We were all very much disappointed when said furniture was nowhere to be found. In its place, we found one of the only mosques inside of Denmark. The blank façade of the building does little justice to the elaborate carpets and the Turkish tiled pillars found on the inside. In the next 90 minutes, we had the opportunity to witness a prayer session and to speak with Imam Abdul Wahid Pedersen, a Danish convert to Islam. The topics of discussion ranged from the nuances of Shariah to the mundane difficulties of serving as a representative of tens of thousands of muslims in Denmark.

Suffice to say, the day was a long one and provided food for thought for all of us. Unfortunately, food for thought is not a substitute for actual food, so we ended our day with a trip to an Indian/Pakistani restaurant. Some of us also made a trip to a nearby bar to watch some of the Euro 2008 soccer tournament. Fear not loyal readers, despite the heart-breaking loss of France to Italy (boo), Team Copenhagen will find a way to soldier on.

Until further inspiration,
-Hanh Bui and Rajinder Chahal, Team Copenhagen

Copenhagen: 18 July 2008

Street GAM3 in Advedøre

Copenhagen: 16 June 2008

Years ago, when Dorit Otzen asked Danish politicians about the problem of prostitution, their answer was:

”Not in our country!” Her response:

”You are dreaming!”

Dorit Otzen is the Director of ”Reden,” (”the nest”) a refuge for prostitutes in Vesterbro, the red light district of Copenhagen. We made a visit to their shelter, which provides refuge, food, counseling, medical care, and other services to hundreds of prostitutes in the area. According to Otzen, there are at least 5,500 prostitutes in Denmark although this number is probably much higher. Only 8 to 10 percent of these women are on the street; the rest are call girls or working out of a brothel.

A survey five years ago reported that 14% of Danish males had paid for sex, but Otzen suspects it is a larger phenomenon. Otzen made a very strong case against prostitution; her main argument was that power differentials across gender and socioeconomic status made prostitution, contrary to popular belife, not a free choice for the women involved. Despite the image of the ”happy hooker”, from her experience this is largely a myth. A third of these prostitutes are trafficked across the border from Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and other developing countries. Many prostitutes, foreign and Danish, are caught in a cycle of drug abuse, and debt, and find it difficult to transition to other professions.

Asked what can be done about this, she suggested two things:

First, there should be a public debate about the problems regarding prostitution. But most importantly, she argues for the criminalization of the customer. Since 1999 prostitution has been decriminalized in Denmark but throughout Scandinavia, there has been a movement to criminalize the customer. She believes that Denmark should follow suit. A change in law would lead to a change in social norms, diminishing demand for prostitution.

We left the presentation largely convinced by her arguments, but also in a bit of a dilemma. We were aware of the arguments opposing criminalization, including the opinion that this would lead to pushing prostitution underground, where women might be at higher risk of violence. Over lunch, we split up into groups and discussed all of these hot button issues raised by the presentation, including the so-called ”right” to sex, especially among the disabled.

In the afternoon, we paid a visit to the Women´s Council of Denmark and spoke with Randi Theil Nielsen, Head of Secretariat, and Kurda Yar-Ahmad, a social worker with their hotline for Ethnic minority women. Topics up for discussion were women in the labor market (equal pay for equal work and equal maternity/paternity leave for the men and women), violence against women, prostitution and trafficking, and the integration of women with minority background. The issue of maternity/paternity leave struck an especially strong chord with us. In the U.S. this topic has been raised in a minnor way, but in Denmark, it is on the forefront of the gender equality agenda. We were surprised to learn that this is the first time HIA DK has had women’s rights on the programme. But the topic seems to have sparked some of the most intense debates among the fellows thus far. We hope this topic continues to stimulate the interest of HiA fellows.