10 Must-Listen True Crime Podcasts on Human Trafficking
Episoder der dykker ned i frihedsberøvelse, bortførelse, udnyttelse og tvang
Understanding the Crime Behind the Podcast
Human trafficking and unlawful imprisonment are crimes that violate the most fundamental human right: freedom. The following podcast episodes have been selected because they all explore themes of abduction, sexual slavery, trafficking, forced adoption, and exploitation—all based on real cases that have shocked the world.
Below you'll find episodes from both Danish and international podcasts that examine this subject from multiple perspectives, revealing the systemic failures, the perpetrators' methods, and the survivors' stories.
1. Mørkeland: Marc Dutroux and the Belgian Child Abductions of the 1990s
Marc Dutroux is one of Europe's most infamous names in human trafficking and sexual slavery of minors. This episode from Danish podcast Mørkeland is the first part of a two-part investigation into the Belgian case that shocked an entire continent. Dutroux kidnapped and imprisoned young girls in his basement, sexually exploited them, and left them to horrific fates. The episode investigates how this was possible and what went wrong in the investigation.
2. Mørkeland: Marc Dutroux, Accomplices, and the Imprisoned Victims in Belgium
The second part of Mørkeland's coverage of the Marc Dutroux case goes deeper into the victims, the accomplices, and the failures of the Belgian system. This episode reveals how Dutroux trafficked children as commodities and operated within a network involving multiple perpetrators. The case stands as one of the most grotesque examples of organized unlawful imprisonment and sexual exploitation in modern European criminal history.
3. Mørkeland: Josef Fritzl and 24 Years of Imprisonment in Amstetten
In Austria, Josef Fritzl held his daughter captive in a cellar for 24 years, fathering seven children with her while keeping the family imprisoned. This Mørkeland episode examines one of Europe's most shocking cases of long-term captivity, revealing how such systematic abuse could remain hidden for so long and the psychological aftermath for survivors.
