3 million DKK (almost 403,000 euros) represents the amount of compensation awarded by the National Board of Industrial Injuries to a female victim of sexual harassment that it classed under the category ‘industrial injury' because of the serious psychological injuries she suffered. Following this historic decision the main Danish unions stated that they were prepared to review their strategy in this area. Denmark is the leading European country in terms of declared cases of sexual harassment at work. This month the 3F union launched a campaign intended to change the situation.
The woman in question had to stop work because of psychological suffering (including anxiety, depression, suicide attempts, and periods spent in psychiatric units) due to sexual harassment provoked by a work colleague. The victim was a female parking meter attendant in the North Zeeland region and now at 47 years of age receives disability benefits. The National Board of Industrial Injuries (Arbejdsskadestyrelsen) classed her sexual harassment case in 2009 as an “industrial injury” with the degree of injury at 5% accompanied by 75% fall in the capacity to work.
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