Justice Ministry's Unit for Coordinating the Fight Against Human Trafficking released the first activity report detailing the problem and how Israel is dealing with it. 325 identified victims of human trafficking over a five-year period.
Of those victims, 71 % were women and 1% were minors. 40% of the victims had been sexually exploited while 44% were held in conditions that could be called slavery.
Human traffickers brought groups of women to Israel from abroad for prostitution. They taught them how to get past border control, and once in Israel, drove them to sex jobs. The ringleaders were eventually arrested and convicted.
“The war against human trafficking is at the center of our basic values as a democratic and Jewish state,” said outgoing Justice Minister Gideon Saar, commenting on the report.