In the last 15 years the Israeli society underwent dramatic changes, which facilitated the development of the current situation. Rapid modernization of the country, the loss of traditional cultural values without creating new system of cultural references, the influence of modern
techniques of communication such as T.V. and Internet and the development of materialistic values
made possible the banalisation of the idea of prostitution. There are quite a few elements that contribute to this situation.
The main reasons for the fast development of Trafficking in persons and prostitution in Israel are:
1. A massive wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union, which destabilized the fragile social structures of the country.
2. The development of public and private aggression due to harsh security problems,
3. The infiltration of groups of International organized crime as well as the lack of interest of the
authorities in the social problems.
4. Non existent projects concerning education on sexuality and gender equality.
Women are trafficked into Israel from Russia, Ukraine, Azerbeidjan, Moldova, Kazachstan, Turkey, The Dominican Republic, Brazil, South Africa and others. The economic situation in these countries is catastrophic. Women are ready to do any kind of job in order to be able to bring money back to their families that will allow them to survive. Criminal organized groups are taking advantage of the
situation and organize the trafficking. In 70% of the cases the women are aware of the fact that they will be selling their bodies in prostitution but they are not aware of the harsh conditions that await them when they arrive to Israel. 30% are bluntly deceived and do not realize that they will
end in prostitution. The traffickers promise them that they are going to work as waitresses, cooks, models, au pairs or medical massage. The regular entries to Israel through seaports and airports are recently heavily guarded, which is why so many women are trafficked through the Egyptian border in
places where there is no control ( some weeks ago the Acre police have raided one of the brothels and arrested several women, who thought that they are still in Egypt). Immediately after entering Israel
the trafficked women are directed towards locked apartments or brothels. According to many
testimonies, which were assembled by the Hotline for foreign workers, they are going through intimidation, repeated rapes, their papers are confiscated and they are sold in auctions.
They are forced to prostitute themselves without getting any money until they reimburse their
"debts " of transportation. Once they are done they are sold to another pimp and have to reimburse
the new "debt". These women are threatened that if they complain to the police they will be locked
in jail for life as they are in Israel illegally. Since they have no knowledge of their rights
and no knowledge of the language, they are afraid to do any move that might put them in a harsher situation. Some of them end in private locked up apartments with no possibility to escape, some are sold again and again from brothel to brothel until they are used up and constitute a burden for their employers and are handed over to the police. In some cases the police raids brothels and arrests women
with no papers or falsified ones. The arrested women are held in jail for a couple of weeks or even months until their deportation, without any psychological or social assistance. (See the detailed
report from the Hotline in chapter 3.)
As to the procurers, pimps and traffickers - some of them are arrested for a couple of days,
but then, with the help of mighty lawyers and financial bail, they are liberated until their process.
In most cases there is no legal prosecution. According to a police report in 1998 370 files were
opened and in 1999 - 506 files. Only two percent of the files were brought to court. (See details
in the report of the hotline - Chapter 3)
There are no exact statistics of the size of the phenomenon since these are outlawed activities,
which develop underground. A report of AP during 1998 states that during the last 10 years,
about 10,000 women were trafficked to Israel for prostitution and according to another report,
which was written by Martina Vandenberg from Global Survival Network, the figure of 3,000
women per year can be considered. A police report from 1999 stated that in Tel-Aviv alone
there were 150 brothels and escort agencies. By the end of the year 2000 a police representative
quoted the figure of 250 brothels. According to the same police report the sex industry represents
up to 450 million Dollars per year.
