Customers of prostitutes say buying sex is hassle-free

Men interviewed by HS say they prefer to buy sex from independent operators

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A group of four men who use the services of prostitutes said to Helsingin Sanomat that convenience is the biggest reason why they pay for sex.
      "After a working day of 8-9 hours, I am not interested in looking for vague company in a bar", explains Seppo, a 50-year old education professional.
      "It is the easiest option in my life situation for satisfying my sexual needs. The only difference between sex acquired in a bar and paid sex is that paid sex is more straightforward: a sexual encounter lasting half an hour to an hour, and that's it. Nobody to calls later", says Sami, a white collar worker in his 40s.
      Earlier this month Helsingin Sanomat wrote an article on a test that it made, placing an advertisement for paid sex on the seksitreffit.fi website. In one day there were 122 responses.
     
The men interviewed for this article were found by placing an enquiry on a message board of the sex-oriented website sihteeriopisto.net. The interviewees said that one important reason why they paid for sex was that it allows them to have sex with beautiful and young women.
      "When you're 50, this is the only way to get it together with a good looking woman aged 20 to 30", Seppo says.
      Another frequently mentioned reason is a need for variety.
     
The men say that they have been in situations in which they have wondered if the sex worker is the target of pimping.
      A typical situation is one in which the person answering the telephone is not the same as the one furnishing the sex services.
      The interviewees say that these kinds of situations are unpleasant.
      "I want to have sex with a woman who is as balanced as possible, who likes sex, and who works out of her own free will, and keeps as much of the money as possible for herself", says Teemu, age 30, who works in patient care.
      The men believe that Finnish prostitutes, and foreigners who live permanently in Finland, operate independently.
     
The men contact sex providers mainly over the Internet. The nationality of the prostitutes is not an issue, and they have also paid for sex during travel abroad.
      The customers say that a visit to a prostitute costs between EUR 80 and EUR 100.
      None of the men interviewed have encountered human trafficking in connection with paid sex. "Prostitution and trafficking in humans are always deliberately confused with each other", Seppo says.
      "If I ran into human trafficking, I would call the police", Sami insists.
      "Taking advantage of another person against that person's will is an action comparable to rape or robbery, and I want nothing to do with anything like that", says Pate, a father of a family who is in his 40s.
      Pate feels that it would be important for a customer to be able to inform police when he suspects that a prostitute might be the victim of trafficking in humans, without fear of self-incrimination.
     
The four men see prostitution as a profession among many others.
      "I would compare it with the work of barbers or masseuses - the same kind of buying of a service. It is often said that people are forced to sell sex for economic reasons, but in the same way a masseuse or a barber are forced to practice their professions. People here do not want to understand that some practice the profession voluntarily", Sami says.
     
The names used in the article are not the real names of the men interviewed.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Sex service marketing: off streets and online (26.10.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat