Prostitution in Finland the exchange of sexual acts for money is legal, but soliciting in a public place and organized prostitution operating a brothel or a prostitution ring, and other forms of pimping are illegal. The socio-legal history of prostitution in Finland is similar to that of other European and Western countries, with various periods of tolerance, regulation and abolition.
The passing of the Civil Code of was the first nation-wide law for all of Sweden, as well as Finland, that prohibited prostitution. These religious values were reflected in the common law across Europe and most Western societies throughout this period. The next major development came in the form of the Penal Code of Finland, [6] which prohibited both pandering and prostitution. The code extended the prohibition to cover "any professional fornication", meaning the law would not tolerate prostitution no matter where it was taking place.
International activism concerning prostitution at the end of the 19th century transformed the societal view of prostitution as an aspect of urban life to one which perceived the labour as a social problem. From to the Vagrancy Act was also in effect in Finland. In accordance with the legislation prostitutes could be taken under control and given orders by the police and social and health care authorities. Activism after World War II and the gradual 20th century abandoning of the standard of absolute sexual morality again shifted social perceptions of prostitution.
The geopolitical position of Finland, and its position in the European Union as of , had a significant influence on the sex trade in the s. The established political connection with Western Europe allowed people to move more freely across borders, and hence engage in the sex services market in Finland. The UN Trafficking Protocol , adopted in Finland in , and the European Union Council Framework Decision on combating trafficking in human beings, [12] adopted in , both obligated cooperating states to criminalise trafficking and increase border control to prevent transnational organised crime.
In , both the purchasing and selling of sexual acts were prohibited under Finnish law where either occurred in a public place. Street prostitution consisted of both foreign and native prostitutes; however, a majority of the bunch are foreign prostitutes. This was made up of the female prostitutes and males referred to as " kerb-crawlers " that sought out the "services" of the female prostitutes. Street prostitution made its way to the center of the capital city of Helsinki where it became very popular with about 50 street prostitutes.
