In Operation 1325’s international cooperation, women’s organisations from several countries and regions have met and exchanged experiences and urgent issues with one another. One of these women’s organisations is the Israeli organisation Isha L’Isha, which has its main focus in 2012 on women that have been caught in trafficking. This month, Isha L’Isha releases its report regarding the trafficking issue from the first term of 2012, which among other issues raises how social workers need more developed tools to be able to help women stuck in trafficking out of their low socio economic status.
Political advocacy for women’s rights
During the first term of 2012, Isha L’Isha has through its advocacy measures spread knowledge concerning the harsh situation of trafficking in Israel. The current legislation regarding trafficking is not favorable from the women’s point of view according to Isha L’Isha. For instance, the children of single mothers in trafficking are given financial support, but the women themselves are not entitled to any kind of monetary benefits.
Promoting this issue and others related to trafficking, Isha L’Isha has spoken to the Israeli Parliament but also to the country’s Welfare Minister. In the talks with him, Isha L’Isha has urged the minister to evaluate how women in trafficking are affected by the current legislation; resulting in a promise from the minister to closely examine each case.
Ten workshops and a conference about trafficking
During the course of 2012, Isha L’Isha has organised ten sepaate workshops where a total of 1250 participants social workers, polices and students have received information and discussed the situation of prostitutes in Israel. The workshops showed promising results from the student target group, after they asked themselves what roole they can play to promote the rights of women in trafficking. The polices at the workshops also reacted positively, exclaiming that they had received a greater understanding of the complexity of trafficking in Israel.
Isha L’Isha has also organised a conference, where the difficulty of integrating migrating women in the Israeli society was discussed. The discussions resulted in the conclusion that collaboration between civil society organisations and responsible authorities are vital to simplify the migration of women, and strengthen their possibilities of becmoing actors in society.
