Russian prostitutes replaced by Finns in Finnish Lapland

Students and men now working in sex trade in Northern Finland

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While cross-border prostitution originating in the Russian city of Murmansk has decreased in Finnish Lapland during the past two years, prostitution of Finnish origin has shown signs of growing.
      According to a report on the sex trade in Finnish Lapland released by the Department of Social Work of the University of Lapland, student prostitution and male prostitution are growing in the region.
      According to the study, the proportion of Finnish women plying their trade is higher than in other parts of the country, and there are fewer connections with organised crime than in Southern Finland.
      Much of the demand for sex services in Finnish Lapland is linked with the internal migration trend, and the problems faced by lonely men.
      "When people move away from here, it is the women who leave and the men who stay. When the men drink heavily, it is easy for people coming from the east to take advantage of them. The men provide them with private housing", says Professor Kyösti Urponen of the University of Lapland.
     
Finnish Lapland had long been seen as a haven for prostitution originating in Murmansk.
      More recently, coordinated action by police, border officials, and customs officers, and a tougher line on granting visas, have helped reduce cross-border prostitution. Russian applicants for a visa to Finland are now expected to explain the reason for their planned trip, and hotels in the area are also making efforts to fight the problem.
      Urponen estimates that the number of practitioners of the world’s oldest profession coming to Finland from Murmansk is only about one fifth of what it was in the mid-1990s, when busloads of women would regularly flock to Finland from the economically struggling area.
     
According to the report, prostitution exists in all urban areas in Finnish Lapland, and in a few tourist centres. Some of the activities centre around the area around the Swedish border, where many customers come from Sweden.
     
Male prostitution appears to be a new phenomenon on the sex market of Finnish Lapland. Male prostitutes cater to homosexual men, as well as women and couples.
      Professor Urponen believes that male prostitution emerged as a result of demand, and is mainly practiced by Finnish men.
      Another small, but increasing phenomenon is prostitution carried on by students.
      Urponen says that students involved in the trade include Finns as well as foreign exchange students, who earn extra money by taking advantage of opportunities that emerge. He adds that student prostitution can be found in other university cities in Finland, and not just Rovaniemi, where the University of Lapland is located.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Organised prostitution leagues amicably divide Finland into zones (29.10.2002)
  Police raid prostitutes in Lapland (21.8.2001)

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