Prostitution in Denmark was partly decriminalized in , based partly on the premise that it was easier to police a legal trade than an illegal one. Third-party activities, such as profiting from brothel administration and other forms of procuring , remain illegal activities in Denmark , as do pimping and prostitution of minors.
The Civil Code of , or Christian 5. Prostitution "professional fornication " was to regulated in Denmark during the nineteenth century, with police playing an active part. Nineteenth-century policies to prostitution were driven by the idea that it was a primary source for sexually transmitted diseases , with women being registered and subject to increasingly regular examinations. In , registration of prostitutes was introduced in Copenhagen , with women being registered as prostitutes in the police records, forced to register at a police surveilled 'tolerated' brothel and subjected to regular examinations, with forced hospitalization during illness.
On 11 February , this policy was officially recognized and given some legal ground, and in , the system of regulated prostitution was officially introduced in Danish law, with legal grounds for forced examination and hospitalization of suspected prostitutes. These policies became the target of women's groups and religious groups, forcing some relaxation in Brothels were eventually banned in , and in forceful examination was abandoned.
Decriminalization occurred in Justice Minister Lene Espersen DFK announced an intensified police effort against traffickers while promising a more sympathetic approach to victims and witnesses, with new police reforms effective 1 January This would replace an earlier strategy due to expire at the end of Amongst their recommendations were;. In addition, the Council proposed adjusting the maximum penalties for the participation of a child under 18, for payment or promise of payment, having sexual relations with a client, or for being a spectator to a show with pornographic performances involving a child under 18, in order to meet the demands of the EU directive on combating the sexual abuse of children.
They also proposed adjusting the maximum penalties for aiding the prostitution of others. With regards to a ban on buying sex, the Council concluded that such a ban would only be justified as a moral rejection of the purchase of sex.
