The Israeli Independent Public - Abstract of the Inquiry Report - December 2021

The Inquiry’s Work Strategy

Approaching survivors from diverse communities in Israel – the inquiry took a broadly inclusive perspective, approaching all the various parts – geographically and socially – of Israeli society. A call for survivors’ testimonies was published in five languages (Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic, and English), calling on survivors from all social contexts in Israel to share their stories; survivors were also approached through advertisements on social networks, in the press, and on broadcast radio; in collaboration with the Ministry of Welfare, brochures were distributed in treatment centers throughout the country; activists in the Arab and ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) communities were recruited to assist survivors with transportation and to collect testimonies. The testimonial platform – the inquiry made efforts to collect testimonies from survivors of child sexual abuse. It chose to place the survivors at the center of its discussions and to learn from their experiences and stories, seeking to understand which changes should be promoted in policy and methods of treatment and prevention. The importance of collecting testimonies is twofold: (a) it allowed the inquiry members to learn from the survivors’ life stories and abuse narratives, and to draw conclusions from these experiences; (b) it created a platform for survivors to testify about the abuse they suffered and be heard by the inquiry members, who thereby became witnesses of the abuse testimonies. The inquiry collaborated with the survivors to create a spearhead for change. It collected testimonies from adults aged 18 or older who had suffered sexual abuse in childhood (between the ages of 0 and 18). Testimonies were gathered in three ways: via an online form; in a personal encounter with a member of the inquiry; in a private hearing before all the members of the inquiry. Each survivor chose the method most convenient for them to convey their story.

The Israeli Independent Public Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

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