Prostitution in Israel

Prostitution in Israel is legal, but organized prostitution in the form of brothels and pimping is prohibited.[1]

The main centre of prostitution in Israel is Tel Aviv. It has been estimated that 62% of the brothels and 48% of the massage parlors in the country are in Tel Aviv.[2] The traditional red-light district of the old bus station area was subjected to a number of raids and closures in 2017,[3] and the area is subject to gentrification.[3][4]

History

In the early 19th century, Jewish Women in Eastern Europe were upended by economic collapse. Many of these women were forced into prostitution or the sex trade as it was the only viable mean of self-support.[5]

By World War I, prostitution was well established in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ramla and most other cities. Brothels were owned by both Jews and Arabs. British soldiers added to the demand for prostitution in the 1930s and 1940s. Tel Aviv was considered to be the centre of the sex trade in the Middle East.[6]

Prostitution was legalized in Israel in 1949 under the Prostitution and Abomination Act, although homosexual prostitution was not legalized till 1954. However, in 1962, indoor prostitution, but not street prostitution, was prohibited, and is controlled by the Israeli Criminal Law 1966, Sections 199-202. However, indoor prostitution has continued to thrive. It was not perceived as a major problem till the 1970s, (Cnaan 1982), and prostitution policy has been described as "benign neglect". A 1975 inquiry (Ben-Eato) recommended legalization, but this was not implemented. (Cnaan 1982)

In the 1990s, as in other countries, trafficking in women became a political issue in women's movements in Israel, who engaged in political lobbying for legislative action. In 2003, Israel passed a law that would allow the state to confiscate the profits of traffickers, but watchdog groups claim it is rarely enforced.[7]

In 2007, a ban on advertising was debated.[8] In December 2009, a bill outlawing the purchase of sex was introduced into the Israeli parliament. In February 2012, another draft bill received cabinet approval.[9][10]

In 2017 'The Criminal Prohibition of Consumption of Prostitution Services and Community Treatment Bill' was introduced to the Knesset.[2] This proposed law criminalises the purchase of sex and provides for the client to pay the prostitute compensation.[11] A government committee, headed byJustice Ministrys director-general, Emmy Palmor, was set up to find the best model for criminalising clients. In January 2018 they reported that they had failed to agree on a method, but ultimately recommend "that if using prostitutes is deemed a criminal offense, they favor scaled criminalization"[12] The current version of the bill would subject those arrested for prostitution to a fine of up to NIS 1,500 for paying for prostitution services, and NIS 3,000 if the offense is repeated within three years. The accused will be allowed to contest the fine and go to trial if they so choose, but if convicted the fine will be increased up to NIS 75,300.[13]

Despite the penal code, using the services of a prostitute carries widespread legitimacy in Israel, and social norms distinguish between prostitution and trafficking.[14]

Economics

The sex trade in Israel generates up to $500 million in revenue a year.[15]

Immigration

Israel is a country of immigrants, including a large number of Russians (the term in Israel includes Ukrainians and Central Asians). Immigrant women have included prostitutes, while others turned to prostitution due to economic hardship in their new land. Prostitution in Israel has been dominated by immigrants from the former Soviet Union since the mass immigration in the 1990s.[6] A study published in 2005 found 1,000 Russian prostitutes working in Israel, mostly in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. From 1991 to 1994, the number of "massage parlors" run by Russian immigrants rose from 14 to 111.[16]

Trafficking

According to the findings released in March 2005 by a Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, between 3,000 and 5,000 women had been smuggled into Israel and sold into prostitution in the previous four years. Most of the prostitutes came from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, China and Russia, and many were smuggled through Egypt.[7] [17][18]

In 2007, a report by the Knesset's Committee on the Status of Women reported that in recent years the number of trafficked women had dropped to less than 1,000, though there are still reports that women and other people who are forced into trafficking are brought in through more covert ways. [19][20] In 2007, the United States State Department placed Israel as a "Tier 2" in its annual Trafficking in Persons reports, meaning that it does not fully comply with the standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.[21] In 2011 the country was upgraded to "Tier 1".[22]

Since 2010, no cases of human trafficking have been reported in Israel and only a limited amount of women were brought to the country to be prostitutes. [23]

An organization calling itself the Task Force on Human Trafficking claims that every month, men in Israel visit brothels up to one million times.[24]

Politics

Various groups have advocated legalizing prostitution, or criminalizing the buyers. Conservative religious political parties have consistently opposed legalization on grounds of immorality. (Cnaan 1982)

Women leaders in the country have also worked to decrease prostitution and sex trafficking in the country with the "Nordic Model," which does not victimize sellers and bans the sale of prostitution. Their bill is set to reach Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation near the end of 2018. [25]

References

  1. ↑ Berg, Raffi (2007-11-06). "Israel's fight against sex trafficking". Jerusalem: BBC News. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  2. 1 2 "City in Focus: Tel Aviv, Israel - Exodus Cry". Exodus Cry. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Tel Aviv sex workers resist gentrification and raids". Global Network of Sex Work Projects. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Lee, Vered (2 October 2017). "Empty Streets and Locked Doors: Prostitution Is Disappearing From Tel Aviv's Underbelly". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Prostitution". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  6. 1 2 Miller, Tal (December 10, 2012). "Meet Angelique Sabag Gautiller, Israel's First Female Pimp". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 Hasson, Miri (2005-03-23). "Israel's sex trade booming". Tel Aviv: Yedioth Internet. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  8. ↑ "Selling Their Bodies and Their Souls - Haaretz - Israel News Haaretz.com". Haaretz. 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  9. ↑ "Should Israel Make Paying for Sex a Criminal Offense?". Huffingtonpost.com. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  10. ↑ Lis, Jonathan; Weiler-Polak, Dana (2012-02-12). "Israel Cabinet Approves Bill That Criminalizes Soliciting Prostitution". Haaretz. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  11. ↑ "Proposed Legislation". ATZUM Justice Works. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  12. ↑ Hovel, Revital (10 January 2018). "Israeli Gov't Committee Opts for 'Soft Criminalization' of Prostitute Clients". Haaretz. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  13. ↑ Mualem, Mazal (10 August 2018). "Israeli bill aims to crack down on those hiring prostitutes".
  14. ↑ Ditmore, Melissa Hope (2006). Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work. Books.google.co.uk. p. 419. ISBN 9780313329708. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  15. ↑ "Prostitution Revenue By Country". Havocscope.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  16. ↑ Patrick Cockburn (1995-09-21). "Sex slur enrages Russian Jews | World | News". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  17. ↑ "Israel women trafficking soars". BBC News. 2005-03-24. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  18. ↑ "Trafficking in Persons Report" (PDF). State.gov. June 2009. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  19. ↑ Lee, Vered (2018-08-06). "Analysis New Israeli Bill Fining Prostitution Clients May Change Thousands of Women's Lives". Haaretz. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  20. ↑ Frenkel, Sheera Claire (2007-10-15). "Israelis against punishing prostitutes". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  21. ↑ "Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report 2007". U.S. State Department. June 2007.
  22. ↑ "Israel 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  23. ↑ "Trafficking for Prostitution in Israel". Trafficking for Prostitution and Sexual Exploitation. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  24. ↑ "Israeli Men visit brothels one million times a month". Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  25. ↑ Hughes, Rebecca (2018-09-14). "What Israel's Campaign to End Prostitution Teaches Us About Women Leaders". The National Interest. Retrieved 2018-10-04.

Further reading

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