Working in Sex Work
Working in sex work is only legally possible in a few countries in Europe and it is not always easy to know where to find up-to-date information. Before you decide to enter into sex work take the time to inform yourself!
Another resource to look at is services4sexworkers.eu. Remember that the situation for sex workers can change quickly along with changes to laws, bylaws, regulations, enforcement and policies. For the most current information please contact a sex worker support organisation in the country you are in or thinking about moving to. All members of the ICRSE recognise sex work as work, support sex worker self-determination and self-organising and oppose the criminalisation of sex work. To find an ICRSE member that can help you with your questions please do a search of our member profiles.
vrijdag, 09 september 2011 00:00
Geen vertaling beschikbaar. Neem dan contact met ons op als u wilt een vertaling bij te dragen.Yes, it is possible to work legally as a sex worker in Finland. I have been doing so since 1996 without any problems with police or tax administration.
This has been possible for me because of several things:
- I live legally in Finland.
- I work indenpendently as a self-employed entrepreneur without any involvement in activities that could be seen as pandering.
- I take care of my accounting and taxation.
- I work only indoors in a private flat without causing nuisance to neighbours.
Working legally is not an option for everyone. But there are a lot of sex workers who would be able to work legally but they are not aware of this possibility. Some Finnish people honestly believe that sex work is illegal in Finland. Many are afraid to ask for advice on how to run your business legally.
Educating people about the legal option has been one of my favourite activities. I have produced following material for this purpose:
- Provisions on prostitution and trafficking in human beings in the Finnish Law;
parallel texts in Finnish, Swedish and English; PDF file; 26 March 2009 - Legal formalities on business and employment in Finland
This is an information package in Finnish and in English. It explains how start-up and run your business in Finland and what kind of restrictions there are. The information provided is useful for all kinds of small businesses but there are also some special advice for those involved in sex industry and sex work.
Despite of my interest in legal issues I am not a legalistic fanatic. I think it is quite the contrary. My way of doing sex work has been a response to those fanatic legalists who want to abolish prostitution by making more and stricter laws against us and against our clients. I think that Finland does not need more laws on prostitution. We need more education about what the law says. And if we get new laws they should be easier to follow and they should make legal option accessible to more people.