Synnøve Ø. Jahnsen : Research Professor

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Synnøve Ø. Jahnsen is a Senior Researcher at Fafo and holds a PhD in sociology from the Department of Sociology, at the University of Bergen.

Her research interests lies at the intersections between social, environmental and criminal justice, sociology of law and public administration and includes studies on prostitution, human trafficking, forced labor, work-related crimes, police reforms and coordination.

Jahnsen’s research includes ethnographic research on Norwegian and Australian police forces, and speaks to problems related to gender, migration and marginalisation.

CV-Synnove-O-Jahnsen-2022

Education

PhD in sociology, University of Bergen

Area of work

Current projects

Between Rights and Restrictions

This project explores the need of long-term shelter services among homeless migrants in Oslo and the challenges they face within a system characterized by varying rights and limited access to healthcare.

In this project, Fafo will examine labour exploitation in the grey areas between social dumping and human trafficking for forced labor. The project is commissioned by the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, and will run until November 2025.

In this collaborative project, researchers from Finland, Norway, and Sweden will study practical recommendations and innovative solutions targeting work-related crime and improving workplace environments, with a special emphasis on combating labor exploitation.

Persons who stay in Norway for more than six months must, as a general rule, register as having moved to Norway and be registered in the National Register with a so-called birth number (f-number). Immigrants to Norway who plan to stay in the country for less than six months can be registered with a "d-number", necessary, for instance, for being issues a tax card. Concerns have been raised that immigrants, even with period of residence exceeding six months, may have difficulties in being registered with an f-number. This may have an impact on their access to rights, such as a GP.

The project studies Norwegian political development and efforts to combat the exploitation of labor immigrants, including the effects of increased inter-agency cooperation and control activities in the fight against human trafficking, social dumping, and work-related crime. To put the Norwegian example into perspective, comparisons will be made with other Nordic countries.

The diversity of the Norwegian population has received increasing attention in the development of public policy and services in recent decades. A diversity perspective implies an acknowledgement that the risk of violence and discrimination, the form and direction of the violations, as well as the victims' and practitioners' need for help, can vary between and within groups - based on constellations of and intersectional interaction between a number of dimensions of inequality and power, such as gender, age, social background, ethnicity, religion, functional ability, sexual orientation, etc.

The aim of this research project is to further develop the knowledge of society's efforts against violence, violations and discrimination. Researchers from Fafo, Nordland Research Institute and NOVA/OsloMet collaborate on the accomplichment. The project will be carried out from 2022 to 2025 on behalf of The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir).