Finnish MP Anna Kontula has revealed for the first time that she worked as a prostitute before entering politics. In an interview with the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Kontula, now 48 and in her fourth term in parliament, said she started working as a prostitute at the age of 16, for financial reasons and out of curiosity. “I wanted to make a living, and it was a rational solution,” she said. She was involved in the sex industry on and off for almost two decades and became an outspoken voice for the rights of sex workers. In 2002, she co-founded the sex workers’ union SALLI and published writings that challenged social prejudices.
Kontula was one of the critics of the 2006 law that partially restricted the purchase of sexual services, but saw it as a step forward as it included protections for victims of trafficking.
The MP recently announced that she will not run again and is preparing to work as a social worker, providing education on safe sex. Her confession has sparked debate in Finland. Some have praised her for her courage, while others, such as forensic psychologist Pia Puolakka, have criticized her for normalizing sex work. “The duty of a civilized state is to ensure conditions where no one is forced to sell their privacy,” she wrote in an opinion piece. Prostitution is legal in Finland with some restrictions, but since 2006, buying sexual services from minors or victims of trafficking has been illegal.