Status after 2017: More prohibitions and less freedom

Prohibitions of sojourn, residence, camps and facial veils. The Danish Parliament, Folketinget, has discussed and passed an unusually high number of proposals for prohibitions in the past year.

"There may be good grounds for limiting rights for individual citizens or groups in cases where doing so safeguards the community. It is striking, however, that we are now seeing one example after another of basic freedoms being disregarded,” says Louise Holck, deputy executive director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

The pressure on freedom rights is one of the topics emphasized in the annual report on the human rights situation in Denmark.

Need for a strengthening of freedom rights

A series of legislative amendments have aimed to discourage foreign homeless persons from travelling to Denmark, yet these same rules also affect Danish homeless persons. The fight against gang crime has led to a limitation of freedom of movement and infringement of the right to respect for privacy and family life. Lately, the government has also proposed a ban on facial veils, which will particularly affect women who wear burqas and niqabs.

"Taken individually, a ban might seem sensible. Yet, taken together, these many prohibitions paint a picture of a society moving away from one of our most fundamental principles as a society, namely our freedom," says Louise Holck, adding:

"It is high time that we boost fundamental freedom rights. We need legislation which strengthens rather than weakens our right to freedom.”

Status and overview

The Institute's report covers the most significant progress and regression for human rights in Denmark and describes the following areas:

• Legal affairs
• Immigration and integration
• Citizenship
• Social affairs
• Gender equality
• Education
• Religion
• Health and senior citizens
• Greenland

The report also contains information about the institute’s work both in and outside Denmark.