The February 12 unanimous vote of the Knesset Ministerial Committee, and the Knesset’s first reading vote on February 15 approving legislation criminalizing the purchase of sexual services, are a victory for all who seek to free Israel from the evils of sex trafficking and the degradation of women and children. The message is clear: human bodies are no longer for sale in an enlightened society; trafficking in sexual services and prostitution are no longer legitimate enterprises on our streets; clients who rape sex slaves and make women and children the victims of their perverse power are criminals.
I celebrate this decision with MK Orit Zuaretz who advanced the legislation; with MK Zahava Galon who laid foundations for this effort in the Knesset; with Minister of Education Gidon Saar who through many political thickets supported these efforts; with many organizations and volunteers who brought this measure to wider attention; and above all with the staff members of ATZUM, Kabiri-Nevo-Keidar, and the Task Force on Human Trafficking who coordinated the information, legal and lobbying campaigns that brought us to this day. As MK Zuaretz noted in her Knesset address, ATZUM led this legislative and enforcement struggle.
We are also grateful to you, the supporters of ATZUM and our partners in this success.
But make no mistake, there is still much to be done, and we require your continued support to ensure that the Knesset and enforcement and judicial agencies use their authority to arrest, prosecute and punish the pimps, traffickers and clients who have too long turned our neighborhoods into comfortable environments for the brothels and slave pens that are our shame and disgrace. A new day is dawning, and I thank all of ATZUM’s friends for letting that light in and working to expand the spectrum of its impact on Israeli society.
With gratitude,
Levi Lauer
Founding Executive Director
