Buying and selling sexual services

The Criminal Code of Finland partly criminalises the buying of sexual services by means of defining as a punishable act the buying of sexual services from a victim of human trafficking or pimping. In the Criminal Code this is referred to as abuse of a victim of prostitution (Criminal Code, Chapter 20, Section 8). The same chapter (8 a §) prohibits purchase sexual services from a young person younger than 18 years of age.

The Public Order Act (POA) bans buying or providing sexual services for a charge in public places (POA, Chapter 2, Section 7). Public places denotes (Chapter 1, Section 2): a) streets and roads, pavements, market squares, parks, beaches, sports fields, water areas, cemeteries, or other corresponding places in public use; b) buildings, means of public transport and other corresponding places, such as authorities, other office premises, service stations, shopping centres, business premises, and restaurants that are in public use either for the duration of an event or otherwise.

The Aliens Act (AA, Chapter 9, Removing aliens from the country) lists grounds for deportation and prohibition from entering the country. According to the Grounds for refusal of entry (AA, Section 148), an alien may be refused entry into the country if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that he or she may sell sexual services. Refusal of entry may entail both preventing an alien from entering the country at the border and deporting an alien who has already entered the country.