Finnish MP Anna Kontula has revealed that she worked as a prostitute for years before entering politics.
In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat (HS) published on Saturday, Kontula said she is not ashamed of the experience, adding that it helped shape her political career.
Kontula, 48, is serving her fourth term in the Finnish Parliament. While she has long campaigned for the rights of sex workers, she had never spoken publicly about her experience.
Kontula told HS that she started working as an escort at the age of 16 while living in a student dormitory, and said the choice came from both financial hardship and curiosity.
"I wanted to make a living and this was a pretty rational solution," she explained.
She worked in the sex industry on and off for nearly two decades and became an outspoken advocate for it. In 2002, she co-founded the sex workers' union SALLI and published writings that challenged public perceptions of the industry.
When Finland passed a law in 2006 that partially restricted the purchase of sexual services, it saw it as a partial victory, noting that it included protections for victims of trafficking.
Kontula has served in parliament since 2011, continuing to campaign for the rights of sex workers. When asked why she decided to speak out now, she told HS: “Speaking out about the topic now could benefit the social debate on sex work and its management.”
She has announced that she will not run for re-election and is training to become a social worker, including providing safe sex education.
Kontula's outspokenness has already drawn criticism. In an opinion piece published in HS on Sunday, legal psychologist Pia Puolakka called it "disturbing" that the MP described sex work as "just a job among others" and argued that "normalizing sex work does not make society freer or fairer."
"The task of a civilized state is to guarantee conditions in which no one has to sell their privacy," Puolakka wrote.
Prostitution is legal in Finland with some exceptions. Although Kontula was a minor when she began sex work, Finnish law did not prohibit it at the time.
However, 2006 legislation partially criminalized the purchase of sexual services, making it illegal for minors, victims of trafficking, or those involved in procurement to purchase.
