In a busy shopping center in Tel Aviv, women, posing like mannequins, were put on display featuring hefty price-tags. Some were made up to look like they had suffered from a violent attack, all to stress the realness and effects of human trafficking and illegal prostitution in Israel.
It is estimated that more than 3,000 women residing in Israel have been smuggled into the country with the sole purpose of acting as sex slaves. Many of these women are perpetually raped and beaten, and not many discuss it for fear of repercussions.
The display put on by a non-profit organization and called “Women to Go” stopped shoppers in their tracks. Campaigner Ori Keider explained:
“What we see here today is an example of what’s going on in houses and basements and yards in this city, but today we’re showing it in the center of this shopping mall so people can understand, they cannot look away.”
Shoppers were asked to sign a petition demanding that people who pay for sex be prosecuted.
Time and time again, the women, who are almost always the victims in these situations, are persecuted while the men paying for their services go unpunished.
The signatures collected during this protest will be submitted to the Minister of Justice in an effort to put together a bill that will criminalize those who solicit sexual services. Many believe that a law like this could eradicate the phenomenon of trafficking in women.
However, despite its warm-and-fuzziness, it’s hard to say if a law like this one will make even a small dent in the Israeli sex trade. It’s possible that it could hurt more then it could help. But however, I think public awareness is an excellent step in the right direction, even if some claim otherwise. Awareness and education is a powerful tool, as we’ve seen them play out time after time in various instances of women’s history (suffrage, sexual revolution, etc).
I think that any activism that grabs the attention of a large group of people is, at times, more effective than the passing of laws that are continually broken.
Yeah I have to take this “sex trafficking” thing with a grain of salt. Wasn’t there a big hooplah in the U.K. about all the “poor trafficked women” in the U.K., and it turned out they couldn’t find a single instance of it happening? Just because someone spins a story of women in trouble doesn’t mean it is true.
Also, don’t we in the States also have a sex trafficking problem not only inlcuding women, but children as well?
Everyplace in the world has some sex trafficking V some places are just worse/not as secret about it as others.
Yeah, I know Copa, I guess that’s my point. While I wish that we could help/rid the world of such atrocities, I wish that each country would focus on the inhumane injustices in their respective lands instead of expecting, or should I say, us interfering in their plights. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in helping when requested, if we can, but we have so much that we don’t have answers for in our states to focus on.
This does happen in Israel and informing the world isn’t a crime… I agree the States doesn’t need to go around and fund all of the world’s clean-up of these atrocities but keeping people informed is important. Are you asking people to stop publishing news of the world especially information and acts of self expression? Ignorance is bliss they say if you only want American News then just watch Fox and continue to live in your bubble. By all means stay ignorant. Pssh.
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hi
iran is full power we fuck israel the country is not good for world i don,t accept is that “women for sale”
omg..diz is just wrong…