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The fight to end trafficking moves from Frederiksberg to Europe

Ben Hamilton
May 3rd, 2018


This article is more than 6 years old.

Frederiksberg councillor David Munis Zepernick, who works tirelessly to improve the lives of foreign women in prostitution, vows to take his fight to Brussels

David and Karen have their sights set on Brussels

Barely half a year after winning a seat on Frederiksberg Municipal Council, ardent anti-trafficking campaigner David Munis Zepernick has set his sights on his next platform from which to carry on the battle: Europe!

READ MORE: Prostitution could be eradicated if prioritised, claims Danish trafficking victim support group

Zepernick has been selected by the Radikale branch of Copenhagen as one of its two candidates for next year’s European Parliament Elections, which all EU residents are eligible to vote in.

Never be forgotten
Zepernick, who was selected alongside Copenhagen councillor Karen Melchior, told CPH POST that election to the European Parliament would enable him to continue with his fight.

“Trafficking is simply unacceptable and incompatible with my social-liberal vision of Europe in the 21st century. To me, it is of course a fight for the rights of these women, but it is also a fight for the very values of freedom and liberty that the European Union was built on,” he said.

“I have long worked to eradicate human trafficking in Denmark, but it is a global and European phenomenon that requires a global and European answer, and I will use my candidacy to make sure this issue is never forgotten.”

We believe in Europe!
Zepernick is the current chair of the Safe and Alive Foundation, an organisation working to assist victims of trafficking, which is primarily concerned the work of the women, who primarily come from Nigeria and Romania, poses a health risk to themselves and others.

During his time as chair of the foundation, Zepernick has overseen the setting up of a free health clinic for foreign women in prostitution. Since its foundation in 2010, the ‘Tuesday Clinic’ has had about 250-300 consultations a year.

There are more than 16,000 registered victims of trafficking in Europe, and two-thirds are women who are victims of sexual exploitation.

“We believe in Europe! And we believe both Europe and Denmark would benefit from a more dedicated and unconditional Danish EU-membership,” added Zepernick.

 

 

 


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Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”