PROSTITUTION

Unlike many countries, prostitution in Israel is legal. To many people it is shocking to learn that in the "Holy Land" prostitution is allowed. Prostitution is legal, but what is not legal, is running a brothel or living off the earnings of a prostitute, in other words being a pimp. Prostitution in Israel is not kept on the down low. Everyone knows about it and where  to go to find a prostitute. It is a choice whether they decide to pay for sex or not. Prostitutes are known to be discrete. They do not go around talking about the men they have sex with. Some of the places where prostitution is more popular is in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa. That could be because the population is more secular and not as religious. Prostitutes can be found on the streets, strip clubs and "massage parlors." Politicians, businessmen and even police officers are known to visit the upscale "massage parlors" and high price strip clubs. Regular citizens are more likely to just look for a prostitute on the streets. When Arab Israelis or Orthodox Jews, whether married or not, want to have sex with a prostitute, they go somewhere far from their homes. The reason for them going far is so they will not be recognized by anyone. One negative effect of the rising popularity of prostitution is that venereal diseases have rapidly increased over the years.

Many Israeli-born prostitutes do not like prostitutes that come from other countries because often, men prefer the outsiders. Israeli-born prostitutes claim that outsiders are taking their money. They say that a lot of the time men overlook them to go with the blondes. It is unfortunate to learn that most of the women that go to Israel from other countries, are taken illegally. These women are usually tricked by the mafia. They are told that they will be given jobs as models, dancers, masseurs, nannies, or domestic workers. They voluntarily go, not knowing where they will really end up. These women are trafficked into Israel with borrowed, stolen or fake passports.

The ATZUM Organization presented some facts about prostitution in Israel. The US State Department found in The 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, that a significant amount of human trafficking takes place in Israel. It is estimated that between 500-600 women a year are trafficked illegally into Israel for sex. Israel's prostitution and sex trafficking industry makes between $500-$750 million per year. The average age of a woman who enters prostitution in Israel is between 12-13 years old. That is horrifying because they are not even women, they are still little girls. In regards to men in Israel, they make about one million visits to prostitutes every month. It is no wonder why prostitution makes so much money and venereal diseases are on the rise.

In the article Prostitution in Israel: Myth vs reality, by Rebecca Hughes, prostitution is discussed in terms of what is believed and not what the reality is. Hughes quoted Yoav Kotler, the head of the investigative branch of Tel Aviv district police as saying "99% of prostituted women in Israel willingly work." Basically he said that women are prostitutes because they want to be. She claims that Kotler's assumption is wrong because most women do not choose to be prostitutes. There is a small percentage of women who say it is their choice, but the majority are prostitutes against their will. Women forced into prostitution experience sexual, physical, and emotional abuse before entering the sex trade, so how could they possibly chose such path. Many of these women do not report what they are going through because they are alone, away from their homes and they also fear that their traffickers will retaliate against them or their families.

Another article, Government inaction, lack of data stymie efforts to combat teen prostitution in Israel by Or Kashti, presents a possible reason for the continual growth of prostitution in Israel. Kashti claims that their society does not give the attention required to teen prostitution. When society does not see it as a problem, neither will the government, and that is exactly what is happening. Children in prostitution have been abandoned because neither society, nor the government, have the interest to protect them. The few that protest against this problem want harsher punishment and increased enforcement, but the budget is too small to get anything done. To make matters worse, there is not enough data on teenage prostitution to make people aware of how bad it is. Throughout the years there have been very few cases found by police of juvenile prostitution and pimping. There are several instances where the cases were started, but then they were closed and were never finished. The problem of prostitution affect the whole country and without the support from everyone, improvements will never take place. When the problem is minimized, the victims' chances of escaping are scarce. It is crucial that Israeli society realize the problem they have in their nation and begin to try to make changes.

The articles are reliable because the authors discuss issues that are relevant to Israeli society. These articles are advocating a cause and some people could say that are making the problem of prostitution bigger than it is, but that is not the case. There is evidence provided for the claims and facts that are presented. We do see their point of view because what is happening is morally wrong and they are just trying to make people aware. We can do a little research and easily find that what these people are saying is true. For those reasons, the articles are trustworthy and accurate.