Resolution in Support of Pidyon and Eradicating Human Trafficking in Israel
Background: In an official Knesset committee report published just a month before
Pesach 2005, it was estimated that 3000 women are illegally smuggled into Israel through the Egyptian border. They are enticed to come, mostly from the Former Soviet Union, with promises of a good job and better life. They are then sold into sexual slavery at “auctions” at $8000-10,000. These women, 23 yrs old on average, are raped, abused, incarcerated and threatened, “servicing” 10-15 clients over 14-18 hrs a day, 7 days a week. The women become indentured slaves with an ever growing debt to their owners. Israeli men of all walks of life pay approximately 1,000,000 visits to brothels per month and the profits from this illicit activity are estimated at 750 million dollars annually.
The organization Pidyon, through its Task Force on Human Trafficking (www.tfht.org), and other human rights organizations work to assist individuals entrapped in this system, advocate for them and for laws to prevent further abuses, and to lobby legislators, judges and law enforcement officials to put an end to the circle of abusers, ‘clients’ and standers-by who enable this depraved trade in human beings. The perception of the breadth of this problem depends largely on the willingness of authorities to take seriously the ‘enslavement’ dimension. Women and children especially are physically and emotionally abused and made to fear for their lives. Israel has made clear efforts to address this problem, but more work remains. The goal is to totally eradicate this practice by encouraging authorities to adopt a zero tolerance approach to human trafficking.
Whereas the RA has taken a strong stand against the worldwide enslavement of human beings in the 2002 Resolution on Worldwide Slavery, based on the teaching that every human being is created “b’tzelem E-lohim”, “in the divine image”;
And whereas this global practice affects an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people each year;
And whereas in Israel this problem has grown into the enslavement and ongoing abuse of some 3,000 people, mainly women, each year and continues, despite authorities’ efforts, due to systemic causes which must be addressed;
And whereas in the Jewish State this enslavement is particularly unacceptable as it is inconsistent with Jewish teaching about the value of every human soul and our history as a people who have known oppression and enslavement;
And whereas Pidyon and other organizations work to free and support those who are able to escape, and to urge changes in the laws and their enforcement to shut down those who enslave others, and those who enable this practice by “purchasing” them, or by seeking their “services”, thus allowing this abuse to continue and grow;
And whereas a number of Israeli Masorti colleagues have expressed their support for Pidyon and supported its initiatives;
Therefore be it resolved that members of the RA are urged to educate themselves and their communities about this global epidemic of human enslavement; and
Be it further resolved that the RA call on its members to sign the Pidyon Rabbinic Petition calling on all Israeli officials to take increased action to bring an end to these abuses; and
Be it further resolved that the RA use its good offices to work with officials in our various countries to bring about an end to this trafficking in human lives in Israel and around the globe; and
Be it further resolved that the RA forge a relationship with Pidyon and other anti-slavery groups to bring an end to this abusive practice in Eretz Yisrael and around the world.