Icelandic prostitute invites men to her home while her baby sleeps

A twenty-two year old Icelandic prostitute told her story in the Icelandic news programme Brestir, produced by Channel 2. The woman in question wished to convey her experience of prostitution, which she says she doesn't do out of necessity, but because she thinks it's exciting. She looks at prostitution as a way to make some extra cash.

"If I was doing this out of necessity it would be much more difficult," she explained in the interview and added that she was in a position of being able to reject some customers. "I can afford to be picky because I'm not doing this because I have to."

The woman is 22 years old, and wished to stay anonymous. She has a husband and a child. In the interview she explained that her husband knows about the prostitution and doesn't object to it. She even said that sometimes, when her customers come over for a visit, her husband stays in kitchen while the customers make their way into the bedroom with her.

The purpose of the interview she said was to correct the view that many people have on prostitution. "I think people have the wrong idea. Of course there are girls and boys that do this because they are in trouble or are addicts and have been forced into prostitution and think its horrible. But then there are people like me, with a husband and a child - a family. And lead a normal life but do this on the side, for fun. I think people need to step outside the box. Just realize that things are not always what they seem."

She also explained that most of her customers were married and over forty. During the programme she goes to visit a twenty year old man in Hafnarfjörður, a small town in Iceland. She tells us that she always talks to her husband before she meets new customers and then calls him again when she has finished, to ensure her safety.

Ragnheiður Haralds- og Eiríksdóttir, a psychiatric nurse, was also interviewed in the programme. She said the young prostitute's story was a perfect way for clients to justify their actions. She added that the young prostitute would probably regret her decisions later in life.

Ragnheiður also explained that many examples showed that those who engage in prostitution commit suicide. "They are often high-school dropouts that become addicts." She added that those women engaged in prostitution to be able to afford drugs or life, in general. "Until something happens. Then they wind up here."

The young prostitute, said towards the end of the show: "I think this is exciting and fun. And if I do well I get well payed. And that's great for me and my family. Why should somebody be shocked that I don't have a regular job from nine to five?

Icelandic law states that prostitutes are not prosecuted, but their clients and pimps are.

Above is a clip from the interview, where the young prostitute says:

"I think people have the wrong idea. Of course there are girls and boys that do this because they are in trouble or are addicts and have been forced into the business and think its horrible. But then there are people like me, with a husband and a child - a family. And lead a normal life but do this on the side, for fun. I think people need to step outside the box. Just realize that things are not always what they seem."