Postdoc for a project on sex workers' legal protection

VIVE is seeking a qualitative postdoc for the research project 'Sex Work on Trial: The Intersection of Victimization, Stigmatization, and Marginalization in Access to Justice (SWIM)', which with a starting point in sex workers' encounters with the legal system focuses on access to justice for people in marginalized positions. The PI on the project is senior researcher at VIVE Theresa Dyrvig Henriksen, and associate professor Louise Victoria Johansen from the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen is CO-PI. SWIM is funded by Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond.

The position is to be filled in early January 2027.

About the project

How do we ensure equal access to justice for people in vulnerable and marginalized positions? Based on sex workers' encounters with the legal system, this research project examines how cases of violence against sex workers are handled in the Danish legal system – from police report to trial – and which factors influence sex workers' legal security and recognition as victims. Previous research shows that sex workers are at higher risk of violence, but they rarely report the violence to authorities.

The project illuminates both sex workers' own experiences with the legal system and the judgments of legal actors – police, prosecution and the courts – of sex workers' status as victims, thereby creating new knowledge about how victims are constructed in legal processes.

The project is conducted in close collaboration with practitioners, including NGOs and legal actors, and aims to contribute practice-oriented knowledge that can strengthen legal protection for a particularly vulnerable group and contribute to a broader debate about equal access to the law for citizens in marginalized positions.

About the position

As a postdoc you will contribute to uncovering sex workers' experiences with the legal system in cases where they have experienced violence.

The project draws on qualitative interviews with sex workers who have experienced violence and are in contact with the legal system. The interviews are complemented by ethnographic observations of central legal meetings including court hearings and by review of relevant case documents. The data should provide an in-depth understanding of how encounters with the institutions of the legal system affect sex workers' willingness to report violence, their expectations of justice, and their experience of recognition, trust and credibility as victims.

As a postdoc you will be part of an interdisciplinary project team, which in addition to the PI and CO-PI also includes another postdoc who will be affiliated with the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen.

You will contribute among other things to the following

• Collection of in-depth qualitative interviews with violence-experienced sex workers about their experiences with the legal system
• Conduct ethnographic observations of central legal meetings
• Review and analysis of relevant case documents
• Preparation of the project's interdisciplinary analyses
• Participation in ongoing project meetings
• Preparation of scientific publications as well as contributions to practice-oriented dissemination of the project's results.

Qualifications

We are seeking a candidate with a strong qualitative profile, and with a PhD in, for example, sociology, anthropology or a related field.

In addition we attach importance to

• Solid experience with ethnographic fieldwork among citizens in marginalized positions, as we highly value methodological and ethical sensitivity
• Solid experience with analysis in the areas of sociology/anthropology of law, sex work and legal security
• Strong scientific writing skills and experience with international journal publication
• Ability to work both independently and in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Terms of employment

The position as a postdoc is a full-time fixed-term for 2.5 years. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the state agreement for academics and the circular on the structure of scientific personnel with research tasks at the sector research institutions from 2021. The current salary level and step depend on your professional experience after completed PhD. Depending on qualifications there will be an opportunity for salary negotiation.

The workplace is VIVE Copenhagen (Herluf Trolles Gade 11, 1052 Copenhagen K). VIVE has offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus. Travel between VIVE locations may occur.

Application

You apply for the position via our electronic recruitment system and all attachments are uploaded together with the application. Find the link to the application form at vive.dk -> About VIVE -> Vacant positions .

As attachments you must upload CV, complete list of publications, certificates (both cand. and PhD) and the written works to be included in the assessment. You can upload a maximum of 4 scientific works. Only scientific production uploaded together with the application is considered in the assessment. If there are co-authors for the scientific works, a statement of co-authorship must accompany your share of the work.

Application deadline

You can apply for the position until Friday 15 November 2026, at 23:59. Materials received after this time will not be taken into consideration.

VIVE wishes for a staff composition that reflects the surrounding society. Therefore we encourage all qualified applicants regardless of personal background to apply. You are also welcome to omit information about gender/gender identity, age, ethnicity etc. in your application, CV and other attachments.