Roughly half of the orders are sought for professional reasons, and the rest because of abusive family situations. In fact, Finland's organization for victim support recommends privacy orders to protect personal safety, especially when restraining orders fail to do the job.
"We recommend privacy orders in situations related to abusive spousal relationships - especially when the abuse does not end with divorce," says Jaana Koivukangas of Victim Support Finland.
Lauri Haikarainen, director of the Helsinki register office says he sees a clear rise in perceptions of insecurity among certain professional groups. Public servants including social workers, police, security guards, and even doctors of late, are seeking privacy orders as a measure to guard against threats arising from their line of work.
A privacy order seals address and domicile information, making the information accessible only for select authorities. At the moment, there are 6700 injunctions in force, most of which are concentrated in southern Finland's larger municipalities.
Koivukangas moreover underlines that a privacy order is not a final solution to serious safety threats. In difficult cases, families may need to move to different areas, change workplaces, and children go to new schools.
Privacy orders are not infinite, they expire after five years. Most people who receive privacy orders wish to have them extended. Extensions can be sought for two years at a time.