Nail salon worker testifies about forced labor and debt bondage in Denmark

A 41-year-old woman testified at the Helsingør Court on Thursday in a human trafficking case involving two Vietnamese women and a man of Vietnamese background. The accused deny the charges of forced labor against two women.

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She was given half a day off. And that was the only day off the woman had for months.

The witness, who previously ran her own nail salon in Vietnam, described how she was persuaded to move to Denmark by an old school friend to work in the friend's nail salons in Hørsholm and Farum. She was promised a reasonable salary and accommodation. However, upon arrival in Denmark, she was housed on a mattress on the floor in a room shared with three other women.

Her workday began at 5 a.m. if customers were expected at 7 a.m., as eight women shared a single toilet and bathroom. The only money she had access to was tips, which she used for small purchases. In total, eight victims are involved in the case, all Vietnamese women aged 20-40, who were recruited similarly, often from existing nail salon jobs in Vietnam.

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She was promised a reasonable salary and accommodation, but when she first arrived in Denmark, she was installed on a mattress on the floor in a room with three other women.

Upon arrival, the reality differed starkly from the promises. The women were informed they owed money for flight tickets, visas, and other costs, and were required to work for four months without pay. Reports indicate 12-hour workdays with no days off or breaks. Living conditions were cramped, with multiple women sharing rooms and sleeping on floor mattresses.

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The only money she had to deal with was tips, which the employees each received in the nail salon. With them, she could buy small things at Netto.

Trine Ingemansen, head of the Center Against Human Trafficking, explained that the creation of alleged debts is a common method in forced labor cases. "There is often an element of debt bondage, and often it is a fictitious debt, where upon arrival, you are told you owe money, and this is used for retention," she stated. The case is prosecuted under Denmark's human trafficking law, with the indictment describing the work conditions as "slavery-like."

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There is often an element of debt bondage, and often it is a fictitious debt, where you are told upon arrival that you owe money, and it is used for retention.