(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
 
The Cabinet, at its weekly meeting yesterday (Sunday, 23 November 2014), was briefed by Prime Minister's Office Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women Director Vered Swid on violence against women in Israel and on inter-ministerial treatment of the phenomenon, ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which will be marked tomorrow.
 
Swid told the ministers that there has been a decline in instances of violence against women including sexual offenses. The improvement in the data is the result of joint work by Government ministries including the Social Affairs and Social Services, Public Security, Health, Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, Justice and Education ministries which, along with shelters for battered women and women's organizations, brought about a series of activities throughout the country.

These include: Operating emergency switchboards in five languages; operating 14 shelters for battered women and their children; operating 90 units and centers for both individual and group treatment of incidents of violence in the family; creating additional positions for social workers who deal with violence in the family; operating local council programs to prevent violence against women; locating, diagnosing and treating victims of violence in the family; operating the "Bridges" plan to reduce violence in the family among immigrants; educational pamphlets to identify "red lights"; operating therapy groups for men; self-defense workshops, etc.
 
Swid added that the "Put a Stop to Violence" campaign will soon be launched. The campaign, which was initiated by the Authority, calls for men to seek counselling and treatment. Swid recently presented the campaign to the UN, where delegates from various countries expressed an interest. The campaign will be featured in cinemas and on websites, including in Arabic.
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We will not countenance attacks on women, murder of women by their partners, or treating women like property. These phenomena must be fought against and we will do so."
 
The Chairperson of the Ministerial Committee on Advancement of the Status of Women, Minister Limor Livnat, said, "Recently, we have witnessed a serious phenomenon in which women and girls are photographed without their knowledge, and contemptible and humiliating photographs are disseminated over social networks. This can cause terrible tragedies for those who have been photographed and this phenomenon as well must be fought against."


The Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women was legally established in 1998 as part of the Prime Minister’s Office.  The purpose of the law was to advance the status of women in Israel and coordinate between governmental and non-governmental bodies acting to promote the status of women.