Actual Situation based on data received from the Hotline for Migrant Workers,
on a report of the GLBT in Israel and data collected by Machon Toda`a - Awareness Center:
The actual situation of Trafficked women in Israel is still the same as it was last year
and you may refer to chapter 4 of this report for a detailed description regarding the
recruitment methods and arrival to Israel, the trade and the terms of employment. Regarding
enforcement we can see a visible change from last year. In 2001 we perceive a growth of
3900% in criminal files against traffickers, which probably is the result of the combining
of all files regarding Trafficking for prostitution purposes under the new article. There is
a more moderate growth in files against commercial sexual exploitation of minors (400%)
see Table.
Table: Police files opened for trafficking in women and related offences, number of
indictments, and number of cases that reached trial for 1998, 1999 and 2000, In the year
2001 there is the % of change from 2000:
Source: Numbers of table were received from the Police for 2000 and 2001 and from "Hotline for Migrant Workers" for 1998 and 1999.
Will this growth continue is to be questioned when in the article published by the review
of the Police " Marot Mishtara" on March 2003 Super Intendant Eshed, Information officer in
the Sharon District , is cited to say that " Lately escort girls that were illegal residents
were arrested and gave exact details on their traffickers and pimps but were released due to
the fact that there were no detention places to hold them there until their expulsion from
Israel". On the other hand during a seminar on Prostitution and Trafficking in persons held
in the High College for Administration on Thursday 27 March 2003 Commander Avi Davidovitch
noted the growth in number of victims of trafficking that agreed to testify against their
traffickers. During 2001 there were 62 victims and in 2002 there were already 160 victims
that agreed to testify against their traffickers.
Another positive change has occurred, which is due to the Health Ministry grasp of the issue.
Two STD clinics were opened in the Haifa and the Tel Aviv area, where all persons that wish
to test their health concerning STD and AIDS are freely examined and are given treatment if necessary. Clients as well as prostituted persons are welcome and their files are discreet.
Until today very few victims of trafficking received indemnities and the cases where there
was important amount of indemnity are very rare. This is an issue that needs clarifications.
Another visible change in the situation of the victims of trafficking occurred in November
2002 with the establishment of a detention center in the city of Hadera, where all illegal
immigrant women in Israel are detained before expulsion. Though the conditions of detention
are better than in prison as before, there are multiple issues that should be improved:
NGOs are denied the right to visit the victims except for one woman from "Isha LeIsha"
in Haifa, who is allowed to visit once a week and "Hotline for foreign Workers" is also
allowed a visit twice a week for legal purposes.
"Hotline for Migrant Workers" is denied the help of a translator as no additional
person is allowed to enter the premises with the lawyer of the Hotline.
Plans for safe repatriation are envisaged but until today many of the victims of
trafficking are sent back to their countries of origin without warm clothes and
without money to enable them to reach their hometowns.
Since "Machon Toda`a" did not receive authorization to enter this detention center
the details about the situation there are reported in Chapter 4.
In this detention center are grouped all victims of trafficking that choose not to
testify against their traffickers. Those who have agreed to testify are placed in hostels
and hotels in several towns and are taken care of by the Police officials that are in charge
of the files. They are supposed to get legal aid from the public prosecution and are helped
also by the legal department of the "Hotline for Migrant Workers". Other NGOs that want to
help them need to apply to the police to get a permission to see them while the places are
not guarded and any pimp or perpetrator can rent a room in the hotels or hostels and threaten
the safety of the victims. The promised shelter that should give the necessary safety is
not opened yet.
Trafficking is not only a phenomenon that occurs on the international level and Machon
Toda`a has encountered cases where Israeli women were sold between pimps and were considered
as merchandise going through the same hell as the trafficked foreign women: rape, kidnapping,
physical and mental violence, threats, starvation conditions, detention, etc.
Machon Toda`a does not have yet any statistics regarding Israeli prostitution as it is
difficult to accumulate them. Israeli prostitution is to be found in the streets, in discreet apartments, in saunas and in brothels and the prostitutes are women, men and transgenders of
all ages.
Regarding the prostitution of minors Elem did not issue a new report this year and you may
refer to last year`s report for a detailed description of the situation.
The statistics in the report of ELEM (December 2001) are the following: ( Only in the Tel-Aviv Area)
Accurate statistics that has been collected (this data refers to 56 youngsters):
Sex: girls - 31(55%~), boys - 18(32%~), trans genders - 7(13%~).
Cultural background: Israelis - 35(63%~), new immigrants from the former USSR - 8(14%~),
Ethiopian origin - 3(5%~), Palestinians - 10(18%~).
Type of prostitution site: street prostitution - 26(46%~), saunas - 3(5%~),
strip clubs - 11(20%~), private apartments - 16(29%~).
During the last year also the GLBT association reported that to their group of Arab speaking
young people joined 15 teenagers, most of them from the Palestinian authority, that are
involved in the sex trade. GLBT has noted that until now no program takes care of them.
In most of the cases these Palestinian youngsters are gays, a fact which endangers their
life in the Palestinian Authority. In order to escape torture and possible death they come
to Tel-Aviv where they practice prostitution in order to survive. Though they are illegal
in Israel the Police does not deport them because of the threat for their lives. While
working with the youngsters GLBT refers to several issues:
The problem of violence against the prostitutes in this area: The methods are
either frontal attack by usually more then one attacker, impersonating a client,
looking for money. The attackers are mostly drug addicts, criminals, gangs of young
people mainly of Russian origin or Arab origin. Other attackers are the other young
prostitutes especially from those that are protected by the police as they have the
status of informer or are relatives of criminals. The Palestinians are the most
vulnerable as they are reluctant to report the attack.
Drugs problem: A few are addicted already to hard drugs (2 to 5 times a day)
but most of them use only soft drugs.
Health problem: It seems that they are not aware of the dangers of unsafe sex
and the GLBT reports of at least 4 cases of HIV positive.
