Women’s groups: Our battle is not over
High Court’s Tuesday ruling on Katsav plea deal eagerly awaited by women’s organizations, who feel it have great impact on other victims of sexual assault
Various women’s rights groups are awaiting with bated breath the anticipated Tuesday ruling by the High Court for Justice on the plea bargain reached with former President Moshe Katsav.
“As a former victim of sexual assault, I am appalled by the lack of consensus among the justices,” said Dorit Abramowitz, who had organized a coalition of women’s rights organizations acting to remove perpetrators of sexual assault from power.
“If the justices do not withdraw the plea agreement tomorrow this will serve to silence future victims of rape and sexual assault.”
Representatives of the Ahoti Movement for Women in Israel had harsh comments for the court following a reported leak to the media stemming from the justices adjudicating this case.
“The court delayed its ruling on a petition handed down by women’s rights groups to rescind the Katsav plea deal, leaving victims of sexual assault dejected and hopelessly waiting, and now it is hiding behind these sham allegations of a leak to the media,” they said.
Laws and norms must be followed
The feminist organization Isha Le'Isha" (Woman to Woman Association) also commented on the impending court ruling, which falls a few days shy of International Women’s Day on march 8.
“We eagerly await the message that the court will send to thousands of Israeli women Tuesday, right before this very important day. All women and victims of sexual assault in particular, are looking to the court to make a just and brave ruling.”
“Such a ruling,” noted the organization “will finally end the farce that is the Katsav plea deal, and will send a message to all sex offenders—prominent or not— that laws and norms must be followed and that women are not fair game.”
Executive director of The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, Tal Kramer-Vadai, told Ynet that she is convinced that Tuesday’s ruling will have a marked impact on victims of rape and sexual assault in helping them decide whether or not t o press charges following such crimes.
“We can only hope that the High Court vindicates the Israeli justice system, and restores the public’s faith in the courts. This is a tough time indeed for all victims of sex crimes.”
‘Why did they even think of giving him a plea deal?’
Sharon, a 22-year old resident of central Israel, was molested by her father ever since she was a little girl. She only realized that something was seriously wrong when she enlisted in the IDF.
“I always thought that this is how fathers treat their daughters, or that I was being punished for some reason or other. Only when I was fostered by another family during my military service did I realize that what happened in my family was very wrong.”
Sharon was raped when she was only 13, and was sexually assaulted an additional time following her military service. When she tried to press charges for this latter crime, she reports that she was belittled and humiliated by the police.
Now eagerly awaiting the Katsav ruling, Sharon said that “it bothers her that someone even thought of reaching a plea agreement with him (Katsav).
“How can I possibly deal with something like that when I ultimately press charges against my attacker?” she lamented.
“The whole notion of allowing sex offenders to evade justice is contemptible," said Sharon. “People do not realize how long it can take victims sexual assault to press charges… we can’t function normally in our jobs, our relationships, our lives, and iot takes as an immense amount of time to heal and learn to trust again.”
