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State to compensate sexual abuse victims?
Ministerial Legislation Committee mulls bill suggesting State pay court-order restitution to sexual assault victims should felons default on it
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation stands to debate a bill put forward by MK Orly Levy (Yisrael Beiteinu) and the National Council for the Child (NCC) regarding monetary restitution to victims of sexual assault.
The bill suggests that should felons who are ordered to pay their victims default on the court's order, the State should be the one to compensate the victims.
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According to the NCC, the courts order monetary compensation averaging on NIS 20,000 (roughly $6,000) for approximately 100-200 cases a year, but many offenders simply ignore the order.
MK Levy's bill suggests that the Justice Ministry's Enforcement and Collection of Criminal Fines Authority will pay the victims, while simultaneously collecting the debt from the felons.
The Justice Ministry has expressed an agreement in principle to take over the task, but the Treasury is opposing the bill, saying "it may impede the principles of punitive action and deterrence by having the State shoulder the burden instead of the criminals."
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