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Mon, 03 Mar, 2014 12:55:06 AM FTimes-STT Report, March 3  File picture of Police check the identity of the woman in Helsinki on 12 August 2011. Photo - Lehtikuva. The Ministry of Justice is preparing to enact a law bringing amendment to the existing law to restrict the sex trade in the country.
The Minister of Justice, Anna-Maja Henriksson told a Swedish-language newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet that a sex buyer might get charged, if the situation is suspected of involving human trafficking or pimping.
According to the Minister, a complete ban of the practice would have been a better option but the proposition does not have enough support in the government.
"I am disappointed and want to ensure accountability, because there is clear evidence that the law does not function ." said Henriksson in the interview with the newspaper.
The Minister felt obliged to draw up a better legislative proposal than the current one that also is hoped to go through.
File picture of Justice Minister Anna-Maja Henriksson. Photo - Lehtikuva. The proposal will be placed before parliament in autumn after consultation. Earlier on January 16, the six-party alliance government drafted a bill to amend in the existing law with provisions for tougher actions against sexual offences.
The changes will include more severe penalties for rape charges ranging from one year to six years in jail, according to the draft bill.
Less penal scale for aggravated rape will be tightened more with the minimum sentence of four months and a maximum of four years.
Currently, the maximum sentence for such charges is a maximum of three years' imprisonment.
With the new law, sexual transgression against minors will be defined as aggravated rape. In practice, this means that minimal penalty will rise to two years.
The amendment of the legislation is likely to increase the number of prisoners.
In recent years, some 30-40 rape offenders have been unconditionally imprisoned.
The average penalty for rape was about two years' unconditional imprisonment and five years' unconditional imprisonment for aggravated rape charges.
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