The Task Force on Human Trafficking and Prositution  was established in 2003 in collaboration with ATZUM – Justice Works and the law firm Nevo, Keidar, Blum, and Associates. TFHT’s focuses on advancing policy that addresses human trafficking and prostitution on the legislative, judicial, enforcement and educational levels; drafting bills and ushering them through the legislative process; initiating judicial processes; being in constant contact with law enforcement agencies, and engaging in raising awareness of prostitution and its consequences for both the individual and society.

Since its inception, TFHT has worked to end sex trafficking in Israel. In 2009, we began focusing efforts on the struggle against the consumption of prostitution, understanding that as long as there was no prohibition, prostitution would flourish and constitute an essential component for human trafficking. Today, since the law prohibiting consumption of prostitution has gone into effect, TFHT works to advance policy in a number of areas:

1. Expansion of assistance and rehabilitation efforts to the prostituted population and victims of trafficking
2. Intensifying enforcement on traffickers, pimps, and purchasers of sexual services
3. Early identification of young people at risk of entering prostitution, and prevention of their exploitation
4. Educating the next generation of potential consumers of prostitution 
5. Raising public awareness and that of elected officials about prostitution and its effects

In addition, TFHT coordiantes a coalition around the struggle against prostitution. The coalition includes 15 Israel organizations, among them government agencies, NGOs and non-profits partnering to address various facets of prostitution. The coalition’s objective is to eliminate prostitution in Israel, both by means of advancing legislative policy and by extending services to prostitution survivors, 76% of whom stated they would exit prostitution if they could; 62% of whom are mothers, a significant majority mothers of minors.

Currently, 14,000 people are prostituted in Israel — men, women, transgenders, adults, and minors — 204 of whom have died, either by their own hands or those of clients or pimps. Their average age of death is 40. The most common age of entering prostitution is 13-14, 8th or 9th graders. Most prostituted persons were sexually abused as children. These statistics clearly indicate most prostituted persons do not engage in sex work by choice, but rather out of desperation, finding themselves outside the frameworks of school and family. Trade in prostitution in Israel is  1.3 billion NIS annually, only a fraction of which actually reaches the prostituted person her/himselves.