The Justice Ministry published a report Thursday morning revealing alarming data about human trafficking in Israel over the past five years.
According to the report, 325 people in Israel have been recognized as victims of human trafficking, of whom, 71% are women, 28% are men, and 1% are minors.
Forty percent were victims of prostitution and sexual exploitation, 44% were subject to conditions of slavery, and 16% were recognized for other circumstances.
The report details some harrowing cases uncovered in Israel in recent years, such as a human trafficking ring that trafficked women from different parts of the world to engage in sex work. The women were coached on how to pass border security, put in apartments, and were transported to customers by the drivers employed by the ring who received a cut of the profits.
The ministry's anti-human trafficking unit noted that ring members were convicted of organized crime charges as part of a plea bargain.
In another case listed in the report, six children and teens aged 6-15 were employed at a family bakery in southern Israel under inhumane conditions amounting to slavery between 2018-2019.
The minors often worked late into the night without breaks or days off and were paid between NIS 15-20 ($4-6) a day. The children were also reportedly often slapped, punched, kicked, and occasionally hit with cables or other objects by their employers if they failed to keep pace with their demands.
The abuse came to light when one of the minors was admitted to the hospital with three severed fingers after their hand got caught in a dough cutter.
During the period surveyed in the report, 789 investigations were launched into suspected human trafficking cases and related offenses, and 155 indictments were filed — mostly for offenses of pimping and running brothels — and 99 people were convicted.
The report also touched on the implementation of the Law for Prohibition of the Consumption of Prostitution Services which came into force in July 2020. Since taking effect, around 3,000 fines have been levied against consumers of prostitution services.