Israel's domestic violence problem is not getting better
In the past year alone, 10 women were murdered by their partners, 18,912 cases were opened by the police and more than 7,000 women complained of domestic violence – according to data gathered by WIZO to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
In Israel today, there are some 200,000 battered women and 600,000 children enduring a life of violence. Welfare officials estimate that only one percent of the 200,000 men who engage in domestic abuse attend violence prevention centers.
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Tuesday, the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO) has compiled a "Violence Index" for 2014, using data collected from all state agencies that deal with domestic violence.
According to the data, every day an average of 65 cases of domestic violence are opened by police. In the past year, the various authorities and women's shelters across the country helped more than 7,000 women who had the courage to complain, while just one quarter of patients in treatment centers for domestic violence are men.
"The wide scope of violence is against women," says Gila Oshrat, the chair of WIZO Israel. "Alongside the low number of men receiving treatment, there are signs that the mechanisms to deal with and eliminate the phenomenon are stagnating."
The numbers paint a grim picture: In the last 12 months, 10 women were killed by a partner, and 19 were killed the year before. During the year, 14 shelters for abused women around the country hosted 641 women and 932 children; 7,640 protection orders were taken out against violent men; and WIZO received 700 calls about domestic violence through its hotline.
Nor does it end there. In 2014, there were 18,912 reports of domestic violence in Israel. The numbers within the healthcare system are not encouraging either: 4,930 women were treated for acts of domestic violence and sexual assault, and 1,020 battered women were identified at Ministry of Health well baby clinics, compared to 422 the year before - an increase of 240%.
Another troubling statistic is the fact that every month, 80 protection orders are sought on behalf of women, and so far this year there have been some 1,200 applications for protection orders via the legal aid department of the Justice Ministry, according to data released this week.
"Justice Minister Tzipi Livni made the treatment of victims of violent crime and battered women a priority for the ministry," says Emmy Palmor, director general of the Justice Ministry.
Meanwhile, the ministerial committee on legislation was to discuss a bill Tuesday morning that would recognize sexual abuse in the workplace.
The bill, submitted by Meretz leader Zahava Gal-On, was formulated by the advancement of the clinic to advance women's rights at the College of Management and WIZO's department to advance the status of women. The proposal aims to protect the fundamental rights of the employee and give the victims some form of security.
"Sexual abuse at work is humiliating," says Gal-On, "and negates the victim's exclusive agency over his or her body and sexuality."
