A new Danish podcast reveals the harsh reality faced by young women in Copenhagen during the late 1800s. Through the story of a 15-year-old girl, listeners are taken into a time when the fight against syphilis led to brutal state control over women’s bodies.
A Law That Controlled Women’s Lives
In 1874, Danish authorities enacted a controversial law meant to curb the spread of syphilis, a deadly sexually transmitted infection that had no cure at the time. The law allowed a special police unit to register women suspected of selling sex. Those women were required to undergo invasive medical exams and, if they resisted, faced imprisonment or forced sex work at state-supervised brothels. The intent was to control prostitution and therefore control the outbreak.
Back then, the state viewed the disease as a serious threat to public health. In contrast, today syphilis is treatable with antibiotics and can be prevented through awareness and safer sex education. But for poor women in 19th-century Denmark, the cure was often worse than the disease.
The Story of Ane Marie Andersen
One of the girls caught in this system was Ane Marie Andersen from Borgergade in central Copenhagen. Historian Rikke Andreassen from Roskilde University uncovered Ane’s story while researching women’s lives between 1870 and 1920. Although Ane’s relationships with women were not illegal, she became targeted by police in 1876 on suspicion of prostitution. If found guilty, she could be detained and subjected to forced gynecological inspections.
The first two medical checks declared her healthy. But at age 16, Ane admitted to selling sex to supplement her income as a maid. Lab tests confirmed she had syphilis. Treatment during that period often involved applying mercury ointments, which themselves were toxic. Because she was unregistered, Ane was sentenced to prison. Afterward, the police forced her to sign a contract labeling her as a “public woman.”
This status required weekly medical checks and work at a privately run brothel. Her case illustrates how poverty and state policy made it nearly impossible for many women to regain control over their own lives.
The 13 Streets of Regulated Sex
Authorities designated 13 streets in Copenhagen where sex work was officially allowed. Borgergade was one of them, located only a few minutes’ walk from upper-class homes. The idea was to isolate sex workers in poor districts so that respectable citizens would not see or encounter them. Ironically, the regulation created entire “red zones” built on stigma and social exclusion.
Women like Ane could not easily leave this system. Police records show that around 134 women were released from registration each year, but half were soon listed again. Ane tried to get out by reporting steady work at a textile factory, but the police still required her to attend medical inspections. Not long after, she was forced back into the registry and relocated to a public brothel with the worst conditions.
At these brothels, women often suffered physical injuries, repeated infections, and severe mental strain. Many, including Ane, spent time in hospitals for gonorrhea, syphilis, or other diseases. Hospital files show injuries ranging from torn tissue to long-term inflammation. Life expectancy was short, and suicide became tragically common.
Ane’s Final Days and the Legacy of the Law
By 1882, Ane’s health and mental state had deteriorated. Records reveal she was imprisoned for violence toward her girlfriend, and she took her own life shortly afterward. Sadly, her story was far from unique. Police logs from the period mention numerous women dying by suicide or poisoning under similar pressure.
The law on regulated prostitution was gradually dismantled in the decades that followed. It was fully repealed in 1906 after officials concluded it did not reduce syphilis infections. Real progress came only with the invention of penicillin decades later.
Today, historians view Ane Marie Andersen’s story as a glimpse into how moral panic and social inequality shaped women’s fates. Her life may not have changed history on a grand scale, but it reveals the suffering behind bureaucratic control and public fear.
About 2,800 women were registered as “public” sex workers in Copenhagen between 1874 and 1906. Their stories form an overlooked part of Danish history that still echoes in modern discussions of bodily autonomy and state power.
Sources and References
The Danish Dream: When Did Denmark Abolish Slavery? A Historical Perspective
The Danish Dream: Best Psychologists in Denmark for Foreigners
DR: Tvungen sexarbejde og tvivlsom kviksølv – Ane blev udsat for 1800-tallets grusomme behandling af
