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

The presence of survivors in training programs and the encounter with them are crucial when addressing the main challenge of optimal and effective training – changing the attitudes of professional staff. The testimonies of the survivors often included disturbing descriptions regarding stigmatized and offensive attitudes of professionals towards survivors of sexual abuse, and the way in which these attitudes harmed the services the survivors were eligible to receive. It seems that one possible and promising way of addressing this challenge is to include survivors in training encounters with professionals. This may assist in shattering myths and incorrect assumptions regarding survivors of sexual abuse. The members of the inquiry wish to emphasize that the testimonies of the survivors draw a picture of inequality in providing services to sexual abuse victims, both in childhood and in adulthood. The inequality is mostly felt on the social and geographical periphery of Israel. This worrisome picture indicates the necessity of developing adequate responses and making them accessible to all citizens of the State of Israel. Furthermore, making these services accessible does not just mean increasing their quantity, but also tailoring them to the life contexts of children and adult survivors, specifically – adapting services to the Arab community and the Haredi community in the State of Israel. In conclusion, we’d like to offer this quote: “Stop teaching us to trust and start being a society that deserves our trust.” We, the members of the Israeli Independent Public Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, ask the government of Israel to recognize that treating sexual abuse is the responsibility of the state, and that therefore the state must allocate resources and shape policies that will allow all the children of Israel to live a life without sexual violence!

Carmit Katz

Nava Ben-Or

Yael Sherer

Ofra Ben Meir

Anat Ofir

Tzviki Fleishman

The Israeli Independent Public Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

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