After a decade of legal back-and-forth in parliament, a new law making the offering or consumption of prostitution services a felony is slated to take effect this week. The law was passed as part of the government's efforts to crack down on the sex trade and human trafficking in Israel.
Israeli law already bars various phenomena associated with prostitution, including solicitation, the advertising of prostitution services, and paying a minor for sexual services.
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According to a survey by the Welfare and Public Security ministries, some 14,000 Israeli women and men engage in prostitution.
Among women, 11,500 are adults, 1,100 are minors, and some 400 are transgender. Among men involved in the sex trade, 520 are adults and 40 are under the age of 18.
Overall, about 40% of sex workers entered the trade between the ages of 18-24.
The law makes the solicitation or consumption of prostitution services punishable by a fine of up to NIS 4,000 ($1,160). Repeat offenders could face criminal charges and a fine of up to NIS 75,000 ($22,000).
The law also introduces a rehabilitation program for sex workers. The government appropriated 30 million shekels ($8.7 million) for its first year, to be divided between the Welfare, Health, and Education ministries, as well as the various government agencies involved in the effort to eradicate prostitution in Israel.
The program includes setting up crisis and care centers, halfway houses for women getting out of the sex trade, a prevention program geared toward Israeli youth, and a program to treat men who consume prostitution services.
According to Attorney Dina Domenitz, head of the Justice Ministry's Human Trafficking Department, "Once the law takes effect, the era of ambivalence with regard to the phenomenon of prostitution had ended.
"We are stating, very clearly, that women and men are not commodities that can be rented out for an hour, and their dignity and liberty cannot be dismissed. We hope that this law will help thousands of people in engaged in prostitution, reduce the phenomenon of human trafficking, and also bring about real social change for women," she said.
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