Three thousand years ago, the Jewish people groaned under Pharaoh's whip of slavery, and later endured the burden of exile and the hostility of the non-Jews toward them for 2,000 years. Today, the trafficking of humans, specifically of women and young girls, is the ugliest and most prevalent form of slavery. Human trafficking is modern slavery. It is our moral duty to take action to prevent slavery in any form to prevent human trafficking and organ harvesting, be it of Israeli citizens or foreigners. Every year, millions of women are traded around the world to fuel the sex industry, which has an annual turnover of billions of dollars. Human trafficking is a blatant violation of basic human rights. These women make their way to Israel in roundabout ways, transported like farm animals, only to find themselves, eventually, in a foreign land, helpless, tortured and physically and emotionally abused every hour of every day. Studies indicate that most of the women who practice prostitution are coerced to do so by pimps and criminals, who control them. The pimps trap these women, both physically and emotionally, by getting them addicted to narcotics, using the harshest methods of mental terror and physical violence. In the past, the state of Israel regarded these women as illegal immigrants, and charges against human traffickers were resolved with plea bargains. They got away with sentences far lighter than the maximum stipulated by law. As a result, Israel has historically ranked very low among countries that act to prevent human trafficking. In light of the low ranking, and a U.S. threat to withhold financial assistance, Israel changed its approach. Today, Israel is very advanced in legislating laws to prevent the trafficking of women. The state finally understood that these women should be regarded not only as illegal aliens but as human beings whose rights have been trampled on. Today, the Israeli government makes sure to provide care and initial rehabilitation for the victims of human trafficking. Our moral obligation, as a Jewish democratic state and as an enlightened nation, is to fight the trafficking of women without compromise by way of legislation and law enforcement. We must take a strong stance against criminals who traffic in women, with the knowledge that these so-called bad seeds oppress, extort and terrorize their victims. We must employ harsh penalties, as was done by the district court that sentenced Rami Saban referred to by the Israel Police as the "most powerful pimp" to 18 years in prison. Such a sentence sends a clear message to criminals: The State of Israel will not tolerate offenses relating to the trafficking of women. Meanwhile, the education system, government ministries, local authorities and women's organizations must work hard to raise awareness on this issue and instill values of respect and compassion in Israeli society. Only through a fierce, uncompromising and integrated struggle will we achieve the total eradication of human trafficking. The writer is the Deputy Minister for Advancement of Young People, Students and Women.
End modern slavery
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
