Prostitution In Israel

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Prostitution is a major problem in Israel and many are trying to find a way to decrease and minimize it. Rosenthal paints a clear picture of this billion-dollar institution that seems to be part of Israel life. An estimated 700-massage parlor/ brothels operate in the country with 250 in Tel Aviv alone, sex for sale is blatant and lucrative she states. (Rosenthal 383) Due to the money involved in prostitution the Russian Mafia now control most Prostitution in Israel? Prostitution in Israel is legal, running a brothel or living off the earnings of prostitution is not. (Rosenthal 384-385)

devastating picture of an abused prostitute

In Y Net news an article on Israel sex trade Booming they report that about 5,000 women are smuggled to Israel annually and sold into prostitution industry, were they are subjected to violence and abuse. According to this article many of these foreign prostitute are from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Russia most of the time brought though lies of job offers. The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee headed by Knesset Member Zehava Golan are trying to get State prosecutor’s to reframe from making plea bargains with sex traders and offer financial compensation to the victims.

In the same regards to minimize the prostitution industry Knesset member Orit Zuaretz who’s bill is trying to outlaw the solicitation of prostitution. If this passed the law will punish the clients as criminals and force them to take responsibility for their behavior. Zevulun Orlev agrees stating that “ it’s not enough to punish the pimps and the traffickers but in order to dry up the swamp and to reduce demand, we have to hit the clients themselves. ” The bill was introduced during a special session of the committee on trafficking of women. The large opponents are the Knesset members from the Shas party stating that the women are the ones to blames for they tempt the men and so the men seeking should not be punished.   She is quit outraged as I at this way of looking at it and responds, “The real obstacle to progress here is the idea that men cannot help themselves. It is “human nature” for the poor, victimized men to hump the nearest skirt when the opportunity presents itself, according to men like Zeev( Shas Knesset member).Orits bill was inspired by a similar one passed in Sweden in 1999 and resulted in women working as prostitutes shrinking by two-thirds.

         The United Nations named Israel as one of the main destinations in the World for Trafficked women, The U.S State Department as well listed Israel as number two in the trafficking of people report. Israel prostitution industry is devastating to many women and a current problem that Israel is trying to contain. The Daily Jewish forward is a religious site that is pro women and so would feature an article on Knesset member Orit Zuaretz a female effort to contain Prostitution. The data used is consistent with that of the article in Y Net. Whose figures are form the Knesset Inquiry committee. The Y Net article has reliable information and is an informative new article for the Jewish news site.