(photo credit: ALTEA STEINHERZ)
In recent years, Israel has been caught in a maelstrom of child sexual abuse (CSA) cases, involving all sectors of society. This is hardly a sectarian issue. The psycho-social harm to victims and society is enormous and inter-generational, as abused children are at high risk of becoming abusers themselves if left untreated.
As a trauma-informed therapist and forensic private investigator specializing in crimes against children, I was asked to participate in high-level policy meetings on the issue. I prefer to share my ideas on this publicly. Child safety is too important to be used as a political tool, and child sex crimes cannot remain a closed-door affair.
The convergence of government coalition negotiations with the sexual abuse allegations against Rabbi Zvi Thau currently dominating the news cycle is unnerving. And I am of the belief that serious crises should be put to use.
For Israel to deal with CSA cases, it must first acknowledge and accept the blight in its midst, in all its forms. This issue must be given A1 priority status by the incoming government.
Critically, policy on child sex crimes cannot be determined by what has been the policy until now. Current policy is so faulty that trying to make it work is like nailing a jellyfish to the wall. The...
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