In anticipation of the 2006 report of the US State Department, a special petition signed by Jews of dozens of world communities will be submitted to the Prime Minister this week. The petition calls upon PM Olmert to rid the State of Israel of trafficking in women. Among the petition’s 3000 signatures are 400 signatures of leading rabbis and Jewish communal leaders from throughout North America.
This week, the Task Force on Human Trafficking (TFHT), ATZUM will submit to the prime minister, cabinet ministers and members of Knesset an international petition calling for a number of operative steps to root out the human trafficking industry in Israel. Signatures on the petition include those of communal leaders and prominent rabbis from US Jewish communities.
The timing of the submission of this petition is not coincidental. In the coming days, the US State Department will once again issue its annual Trafficking in Persons report in which Israel has continuously been listed among the list of nations who do not meet minimum standards to combat human trafficking. This report will come on the heels of a UN report which rated Israel as having the highest/worst possible rating as a destination for trafficking victims, along with Germany and the US itself.
Rabbi Levi Lauer, founder of ATZUM noted: “We are encouraged by the current prime minister’s active stance on this issue in creating a special committee to consider implementing the policy recommendations we submitted. Ours is a unique policy paper including operative recommendations for nearly all cabinet ministries including innovative recommendations that would cost the country nothing and require only goodwill on the part of the government to implement.”
Roni Aloni-Sadovnick, spokeswomen for TFHT expressed deep concern about the stubbornness of police officials in falsely alleging that there has been a ‘severe drop’ in the number of trafficking victims in the country: “The police can plainly see that the brothels which were previously centralized in traditional prostitution areas have simply moved their business to private apartments scattered throughout the country. From this the police deduce
that there has been a drop in sex trafficking?! Police statistics run contrary to statistics reported by the IDF. Many policemen with whom we met relate to victims as if they are criminals. One senior police official even said: ‘They love it – It’s a fact that they keep coming back.’”
Ori Keidar, Adv., legal advisor for TFHT added: “We are severely troubled by the increasing connection between organized crime and trafficking in women and hope that as a result of the expected recommendation of the Zeiler commission, the police force will learn important lessons about how to wage an uncompromising battle against this industry of organized crime instead of continuing their policy of apathy for the fates of victims of sex trafficking.”
For additional information, contact:
Roni Aloni-Sadovnick: 050-550-6717, 03-528-0926 ronia@tfht.org
or
Nomi Lahav: 052-802-8055