http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000772#finland
"The sex trade exploded onto the Finnish scene in the years of the recession of the 1990s. Helsinki had about a dozen erotic restaurants, and personals ads offering company for 'daytime coffee'. Some even wanted to hire topless barbers.
In the early years of this decade there was intense debate in Finland on whether or not to make buying sex services a crime... Currently the purchase of sex services in Finland is illegal only in public places. Buying sex is also banned if the trade involves procurement or human trafficking, or if the provider of the service is below the legal age.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) estimates that about 500 prostitutes ply their trade in Finland every day... Nobody knows how many prostitutes there really are in Finland. However, there is general agreement, that about half of the sex workers who operate regularly in Finland are Finns, and that a majority work part time.
Many foreign prostitutes work with the support, or under the command of a pimp. The Finns usually operate independently... As the street trade is banned, Finnish red light districts can be found in cyberspace - on sex pages on the Internet and in personals ads. Foreign sex workers also sell their services in night clubs and Thai massage parlours. "
Panu Räty, "Anna Kontula Speaks on Behalf of Sex Workers," Helsingin Sanomat, Sep. 7, 2008
"The sex trade exploded onto the Finnish scene in the years of the recession of the 1990s. Helsinki had about a dozen erotic restaurants, and personals ads offering company for 'daytime coffee'. Some even wanted to hire topless barbers.
In the early years of this decade there was intense debate in Finland on whether or not to make buying sex services a crime... Currently the purchase of sex services in Finland is illegal only in public places. Buying sex is also banned if the trade involves procurement or human trafficking, or if the provider of the service is below the legal age.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) estimates that about 500 prostitutes ply their trade in Finland every day... Nobody knows how many prostitutes there really are in Finland. However, there is general agreement, that about half of the sex workers who operate regularly in Finland are Finns, and that a majority work part time.
Many foreign prostitutes work with the support, or under the command of a pimp. The Finns usually operate independently... As the street trade is banned, Finnish red light districts can be found in cyberspace - on sex pages on the Internet and in personals ads. Foreign sex workers also sell their services in night clubs and Thai massage parlours. "
Panu Räty, "Anna Kontula Speaks on Behalf of Sex Workers," Helsingin Sanomat, Sep. 7, 2008
