Interior Ministry director-general. 'Ukraine is source.'
צילום: גיל יוחנן
Border Authority says Ukraine source of women trafficking
Senior officials in Interior Ministry reiterate Minister Yishai's stance against cancelling entry visa requirement for Ukrainian tourists. 'Even if there is minimal damage to foreign commerce, we will avoid paying price in trafficking of women,' explains director-general of ministry
The Interior Ministry is opposed to the cancellation of entry visa requirements for tourists visiting Israel from Ukraine and reiterated Interior Minister Eli Yishai's reasoning against the move during a discussion in the Knesset Subcommittee on Trafficking in Women.
Population, Immigration, and Border Authority Director-General Amnon Ben-Ami said during a Knesset discussion on the battle against trafficking in women on Monday, "We are opposed to cancelling the entry visas from Ukraine because this is the source country of trafficking in women."
During the discussion, which revolved around activities of the immigration authority on issues related to victims of human trafficking in Israel, Director-General of the Interior Ministry Gavriel Maimon expressed a similar position.
Discussion in Knesset Subcommittee on Trafficking in Women (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"Ukraine is considered the source country. Professionals are doing all in the capacity to review the arrival of women who are likely to be the victims of trafficking. Even if there is minimal damage to foreign commerce, we will ignore this at the price of damaging women trafficking," Maimon said.
Another issue was also brought up during the discussion regarding the State's lack of immigration policy. Because the State does not grant refugee status, something that would allow asylum seekers to work legally, many infiltrators from Africa find themselves working in prostitution, giving birth to a new source of women trafficking.
Committee Chairwoman MK Orit Zuaretz (Kadima) suggested that all bodies dealing with the phenomenon, from the police to volunteers in aid organizations, undergo support treatment.
"The inspectors and police officers are exposed to difficult images. Therefore, in my opinion, the same inter-ministerial team drafting the treatment plan for trafficking victims must also think of ways to treat these same teams. As of today, trafficking victims are cooperating with the police, and are authorized to remain in Israel for one year under a special work visa," Zuaretz asserted.
Vered Swaid, social affairs advisor to the prime minister, suggested during the discussion that a committee be formed to discuss the rehabilitation of the victims and to allow them to remain in Israel for more than a year.
Ran Gavrieli, a volunteer in the Levinsky Clinic, said during the discussion that a patrol car that makes the rounds every week to locate people working in prostitution finds dozens of refugees from Sudan and Eritrea working in the field. In addition, they find homosexual youth from the West Bank also working in prostitution.
