TFHT represents victims and their rights in many different ways. Sometimes we file complaints on behalf of victims in the courts or other formal agencies; sometimes we demand policy changes; and sometimes we request that people involved in promoting trafficking be sanctioned or fined. All of these efforts are part of what we call “advocacy”.

Our advocacy work brings attention to this issue and helps to protect the rights of victims throughout Israel . Here are some examples of our recent advocacy efforts:

• Government policies that get in the way of justice can be challenged and sometimes overruled in court. TFHT filed a petition with the High Court of Justice demanding that the attorney general change certain policies which obstruct the prosecution of pimps and traffickers.
• Newspapers play a central role in promoting trafficking by publishing ads recruiting more victims and advertising “services”. The Task Force filed several petitions in the courts and the Israeli Press Agency challenging this behavior and demanding that the newspapers be sanctioned.
• Too often, court decisions endanger trafficking victims and violate their privacy rights by exposing their full names or addresses. TFHT wrote a formal letter to the court directorate demanding that judges protect victims by keeping this information out of their decisions. Our letter was distributing by the court directorate to all of the judges in Israel!
• One-on-one: The Task Force represents some individual victims directly in the courts, working to protect their rights and ensure a just result.