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| HMW Quarterly Newsletter | Issue no. 10, September 2007 |
Trafficking of Israeli Women for Work in Prostitution Abroad
Background
In October 2006, our volunteers found an advertisement which seemed to be seeking Israeli women for sex work abroad. Following this incident, we began actively looking for such advertisements. We weren't disappointed; during the period October - July we found 11 such ads. Many were located in the 'help wanted' section of local newspapers and, we believe, in the Russian language press as well. We also found advertisements in a national newspaper and on the internet. They contained text such as "For a discrete job abroad… massive salary," or "Seeking decent-looking and liberal women for work abroad. High earnings." Generally speaking, they sought "liberal" women for "discrete work" at a "huge salary" in a foreign country. These hinted to the type of work being offered. We sought to investigate these claims in more depth. Thus, our volunteers called the numbers listed and conducted conversations as potential 'job candidates.' In nine cases, these conversations were transcribed. In the last two cases – advertisements published on the internet – we sent e-mail inquiries. The transcriptions and advertisements were then sent to the police. Through these telephone conversations, we discovered the following:
- Young women were sought for work in England (5), Croatia and Greece (1), Ireland (1), Europe (1), Singapore (1), Thailand (1) and Japan (1).
- Traffickers promised sums of money ranging from 50,000-80,000 NIS ($12,500-$20,000) a month.
- In most of the cases, the women were expected to pay half of their earnings to their 'employer' in exchange for them procuring clients and running the business. They would only begin to receive a salary after they had returned the debt for the flight.
- It was made clear to the women that the work would involve sex.
- The traffickers promised the women that they could leave at any time - as long as they had paid back their plane ticket and paid their share of living expenses.
- In all cases the women were told they would enter the country on a tourist visa. Sometimes, they were informed the work was legal, while other 'agents' told them it was illegal. Some were even provided with a cover story to tell border control officers.
- The trafficker always requested to either meet the woman in person, or see a picture of her. In some cases, they requested that she get erotic pictures of herself taken which would be used by the brothels to procure clients.
- In every case, we were told other Israeli women had already traveled. In one case, the woman said she, herself, had actually traveled this same route.
- We are in regular contact with the police regarding the status of investigations of these cases. To the best of our knowledge, the only arrests so far have been in the Irish case (see sidebar). Recently the police notified us that they are also looking into the English, Japanese and Thai cases.
- We raised the topic at a Parliamentary committee meeting on trafficking in persons in March. This generated a significant amount of media attention and interest by decision-makers. It also pressured the police into launching more serious investigations.
- We discussed the issue with officials in the government including participants of an inter-ministerial committee dedicated to fighting trafficking in persons.
- Investigating the characteristics of this phenomenon.
- Creating and strengthening contacts in destination countries to ensure that returning women who seek assistance in Israel will have a place to turn.
- Advocating on behalf of Israeli women to ensure that they receive everything they are entitled to from the government including legal aid and rehabilitative services.
- Conducting comparative research on other countries regarding the legal implications of being a source country and investigating methodologies for helping women.
- Undertaking a mapping of the scope and nature of trafficking of Israeli women within Israel.
| Profile of a Trafficker – The Irish Case Angelica Sabag, aka "Julie" is a 34 year old duel Israeli and French citizen. A former prostitute who worked in Ireland, she was a natural for the job. Angelica developed a partnership with an Irish man and together they managed the 'business.' Angelica was primarily responsible for recruitment. She found women either through newspaper advertisements (of which she published at least 15) or via personal contacts. Angelica would explain work conditions to all potential 'job candidates.' She accompanied interested candidates to have erotic pictures of themselves taken and would facilitate all other aspects of the journey. Every few months, Angelica would accompany new recruits to Ireland. In Ireland, her partner was primarily responsible for soliciting clients (through the internet), providing the women with housing and all other aspects of the 'business.' Actual work conditions in Ireland varied. They included:
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