Input to UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls
Letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls
The Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) expresses its appreciation for Ms. Reem Alsalem's October 2024 Position Paper on exit programs for women in prostitution and submits input for her forthcoming UN report on sex-based violence. Israel's adoption of the Abolitionist/Nordic Model in 2018 marked a regional milestone in combatting prostitution, criminalizing the purchase of sex while supporting rehabilitative programs for victims. Despite increased public awareness and legal frameworks, enforcement remains weak, with online exploitation rising. JIJ urges stronger penalties, educational programs, and regulatory measures to combat the industry’s digital shift. It also calls for UN-led data analysis and a global exchange of best practices.
January 30th, 2025
Dear Ms. Reem Alsalem,
We deeply appreciate your October 2024 Position Paper on lessons learned from the
implementation of exit programs for women in prostitution. In support of your forthcoming report
to the UN Human Rights Council on new frontiers and emerging issues of the forms of sex-based
violence against women and girls, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice submits this input concerning
the rights of prostituted women and girls in Israel.
On December 31, 2018, the Israeli Knesset officially adopted the Prohibition on Consuming
Prostitution Act. This law is based on the Abolitionist/Equality/Nordic Model which has been
implemented by Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, France, the Republic of Korea,
Northern Ireland, and the State of Maine in the United States. In adopting this law, Israel became
the first state in the Middle East region to adopt the Abolitionist model for combatting the
exploitation of women and girls in the prostitution industry.
As a core member of the Coalition Against Human Trafficking and Prostitution, a task force of 20
Israeli civil society organizations, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) led the effort to develop
and promote this legal framework within Israel. JIJ remains engaged in the law’s implementation
as a provider of pro bono legal services for trafficked women and girls. In 2024, we provided legal
aid to 9 women and girls exiting the prostitution industry, securing their rights to housing, debt
relief, and lawful immigration status.
Israel’s Approach to Punishing Consumers of Prostitution
The Israeli version of the Abolitionist Model defines consumption of prostitution as a civil offense
for which violators can be fined 2,000 NIS ($500 USD) for a first offense and 4,000 NIS ($1,000
USD) for subsequent violations. Serial offenders can be fined as much as 70,000 NIS ($20,000
USD) and face possible incarceration. Crucially, the law assumes that any woman found inside a
brothel is a victim of exploitation, and a man found in a brothel is an unlawful consumer, regardless
of his claims to the contrary.
The law offers violators the option, instead of paying a fine, of attending a series of educational
sessions given by the Adult Probation Service, whose objective is to change the offender’s
perspectives on the consumption of prostitution. The law also provides funding for the
rehabilitation of victims, and obligates the Ministries of Social Services and Homeland Security
to report annually to the Knesset Constitution Committee regarding the law’s implementation and
its effect on the rehabilitation of and assistance given to prostituted people.
The Challenges of Implementation
In 2016, Israel’s Welfare Ministry estimated there were 11,420-12,730 prostituted people driving
the country’s 1.2 billion NIS ($318 million USD) industry. According to that report, 71% of
prostituted women said they entered the sex trade out of financial desperation, and 76% said they
would leave the industry if they could.
The Israeli version of the Nordic Model is a five-year temporary order, which entered full
enforcement status at the height of the COVID pandemic. The pandemic severely limited
government and civil society efforts to inform and re-train police and criminal justice professionals
on the new legal framework.
A 2024 study found that the new law’s mass media and public education programs had succeeded
in transforming the Israeli public’s perceptions of the prostitution industry. While a 2016 survey
found that only 39% of Israelis viewed prostituted women as victims of abuse and exploitation, by
2024, 72% of Israelis agreed with this principle, and supported efforts to punish sex buyers.1
Unfortunately, due to a lack of criminal enforcement of this new law, consumption of prostitution
in Israel increased from 7% to 9% during the study period of 2021-2024.2 As reported by Israel’s
Ministry of Justice, only 5,104 fines have been issued to consumers of prostitution since the new
law went into effect.3
In 2025, JIJ and our Coalition partners are fighting to make this law permanent. As occurred in
2018 before the law’s initial passage, we are facing pressure and harassment from pro-prostitution
lobby groups, which seek to reframe prostitution as an act of “empowerment” and mischaracterize
the work and membership of the Coalition.
We are also challenged by the prostitution industry’s movement away from street corners and onto
the internet, including social media platforms like OnlyFans, and encrypted messaging platforms
like Telegram, which pimps in Israel use to lure women and girls from Russia, Belarus, and
Ukraine.
Recommendations
During the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, and the 59th session of the
Human Rights Council, we urge you to:
- Call for civil and criminal penalties for all who profit from the sexual exploitation of
women and girls, whether in person or online;
- Call for UN Women to initiate a comprehensive survey and data analysis on the
implementation of the abolitionist/equality/Nordic model and its effect on victims and
perpetrators;
- Promote the use of precise, survivor-centered terminology, including “prostituted
women and children” rather than “sex workers,” in UN reports, educational materials, and
policy discussions, as recommended in your 2024 Position Paper;
- Call for member states to adopt the following educational programs to change social
perceptions of the prostitution industry:
- Mandatory educational programs for law enforcement, social service providers,
and judicial authorities on the realities of prostitution, including its ties to human
trafficking and organized crime. These programs should align with international
human rights principles and survivor-led advocacy;
- Public education initiatives that challenge the myths surrounding prostitution
and highlight the realities of coercion, exploitation, and harm. This should include
school-based curricula addressing the vulnerability of young women and girls to
commercial sexual exploitation;
- Regulatory measures requiring digital platforms (including social media and
encrypted messaging services) to warn users about the criminal implications of
advertising and purchasing sex, and to implement stricter policies against content
promoting the exploitation of women and girls;
- Convene a side event on Countering the Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls through
Prostitution, gathering representatives of the 8 UN Member States that have adopted the
Abolitionist/Equality/Nordic Model (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, France,
the Republic of Korea, and Israel) for the purpose of sharing best practices and challenges
to implementation.
In support of these recommendations, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice will be happy to participate
and facilitate inputs from Israeli survivors, advocates, and service providers.
With appreciation,
Flavia Sevald, CEO
1 https://brookdale-web.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/files/RR-009.0-24_Heb_Report.pdf
2 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-809634
3 https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/a-79-322-submission-israel-en.pdf
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