HS: Minister wants a total ban on buying sex
Justice Minister Anna-Maja Henriksson is planning to push for a bill that would completely prohibit the purchase of sexual services, reports newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
A total ban on buying sex would bring Finland’s legislation in line with the Swedish and Norwegian model. Finland’s law currently prohibits buying sex from victims of pimping or human trafficking, as well as from minors.
“This issue has not been written into the government programme, so potential reforms will need to be discussed with other government parties as well,” said Henriksson, a member of the Swedish People’s Party, in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat.
The minister will start pushing for the bill after the summer holiday, the daily writes.
According to Henriksson, it is possible that the bill will be passed during the current parliamentary term.
Latest in: News
Finland criticised again in Amnesty report
The human rights organisation’s annual report is highly critical of Finland’s treatment of asylum seekers. Finland was condemned for deporting asylum seekers without in-country appeals, and the practice of incarcerating children seeking refugee status in police facilities.
FFE: One in four businesses made a loss in 2012
A quarter of all Finnish firms lost money last year, according to the in-house magazine published by the Federation of Finnish Enterprises (FFE).
Baby boomers' alcohol "timebomb" set to hit Finland
Experts fear that retiring baby boomers may over indulge to such an extent that Finland could soon be forced to deal with a large cohort with unusually high levels of alcohol dependence. Incorporating messages about alcohol into basic healthcare will be key to fighting the problem.
Finnish income gap lower than European average
Income differences in Finland are below the average in Europe, according to Statistics Finland. The gap between richest and poorest is largest in Latvia and Bulgaria and smallest in Norway and Iceland.
Two tumble from Töölö balcony
One man died and another was seriously injured on Wednesday morning when they fell from a fifth-floor balcony in the Töölö district of Helsinki.
Evira: Don’t use datura-laced SOK veggies
The Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira has warned consumers not to use a frozen vegetable product sold by the SOK group that was found to be laced with seeds from the highly toxic datura plant.
Itella chops 180 management jobs
The state mail delivery and logistics company launched retrenchment talks in mid-April with the aim of cutting 350 jobs.
Researcher: Bullying should be nipped in the bud
Research shows that small children don’t have an inherent tendency to bully their peers, but learn the practice from others.
"Tästä tulee iso lasku Suomelle" – aikapommi tikittää
Asiantuntijat pelkäävät, että suuret ikäluokat alkavat käyttää alkoholia suuria määriä eläkkeellä. Ehkäisemisen avainasemassa on perusterveydenhuolto.
Met man: Monster tornado also possible in Finland
A meteorologist and storm chaser says that the kind of tornado that recently killed dozens of people in Oklahoma in the USA, is also possible in Finland. Finland suffered extensive destruction in a series of massive twisters that struck in 1932.
