Parliament approves contents of bill criminalising sex purchases

The curtain was finally brought down on months of political debate on the buying and selling of sexual services in Finland, when Parliament put a bill on prostitution to a vote on Friday, and the house approved the contents of the bill.
      The bill would ban the purchasing of sex only in cases in which the provider of the services is a victim of pimping or trafficking in humans. Moreover, the selling of sexual services would not be outlawed.
      On Wednesday, Parliament is to vote whether or not the bill is to be finally enacted.
     
The limited ban defeated a rival proposal to forbid all buying of sex under any circumstances by a vote of 123 to 19, with seven MPs abstaining. Moreover, as many as 50 MPs were absent.
      Those left in the minority included Minna Sirnö (Left Alliance) who proposed that all sex purchases should be criminalised. She was supported by seven other members of the Left Alliance, six Christian Democrats, as well as five MPs of the Swedish People's Party. The large government parties - the Centre Party and the Social Democratic Party - as well as the majority of the MPs of the National Coalition Party, voted in favour of the compromise version of the bill approved by the Legal Affairs Committee of the Finnish Parliament ten days before.
      Those who abstained included all three MPs of the True Finns Party, as well as three MPs of the National Coalition Party, and one member of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group.
     
Päivi Räsänen (Christian Democratic Party) wanted to criminalise both the buying and selling of sexual services. Her proposal was supported by 32 votes, the majority of them coming from the National Coalition Party. Three MPs abstained.
      On the other hand, the current Public Order Act forbids both the selling and buying of sexual services in public places including restaurants. Persons violating the ban can be subject to fines.
      In the enforcement of the proposed new law, the sale of sex in public places will remain illegal, while the purchase of sex services will be a crime everywhere, if the prostitute is a victim of trafficking in humans or pimping, and the buyer would be subject to up to six months in prison.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Skinny compromise on ban on buying sex services (Editorial, 10.6.2006)
  Amended prostitution bill likely to pass (9.6.2006)
  Dispute over criminalisation of buying sex to be settled today (8.6.2006)
  Estonia also considering criminalisation of purchase of sex (9.1.2006)
  Purchase of sex services could soon lead to imprisonment (16.12.2005)
  Justice Ministry to propose criminalisation of buying sex (14.11.2005)