Selling sexual services is legal in Iceland but it is illegal to buy them.

In Iceland it is illegal to pay for sexual services. Anyone who does so can be fined or imprisoned for up to one year.

It is not illegal to get paid for sexual services.

Although it might be tempting, if people are in money trouble for example, selling sexual services can have serious consequences.

Paying does not give you control

Those who buy prostitution may think they are allowed to do anything they want since they paid. That is not true. Just because you have received a payment from another person doesn't mean you have to do everything they want.

Even if someone has paid, you can always say no.

Consent

To have sex legally, all participants must give consent to what takes place there. Consent given conditionally or by persuasion is not given voluntarily.

Payment is conditional consent that changes the balance of power between individuals. If someone pays, they want something done for them. The person who receives the payment often has no other choice.

Vulnerability

The activities that take place in prostitution require people to be in very close contact, often in a very vulnerable position.

Under normal circumstances, such contact would only take place between individuals who trust each other well. Without the trust, one party can take advantage of the other's vulnerability. One example is if they request or force something that was not agreed upon.

Temporary Measure

People who have been in prostitution usually see it as a temporary measure because they are in financial trouble.

People feel that they don't have a choice of doing anything else, even though they would prefer to.

Consequences

Research shows that the consequences of prostitution are severe and long-lasting for those who have been in prostitution. Suicidal thoughts, self-harm, isolation and physical pain are even more common than among those who have experienced other forms of sexual violence.