Emergency hotline for victims of sexual assault

1202: Women | 1203: Men

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Statistics from the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel

In this section you will find the most up to date statistics from the ARCCI as well as other authorities taken from the 2014 annual report. Every year, on November 25th – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, ARCCI publishes yearly statistics about sexual abuse and calls made to the rape crisis centers and other authorities.

ARCCI Statistics

General Statistics

  • In 2013, 40,000 calls were received by the rape crisis centers.
  • Among them 8,637 were new callers.
  • This reflects a rise of 12% compared to previous years.
  • 15% of incidents received by the rape crisis centers were reported to the police.

Distribution according to gender

  • 87% of callers reporting assault were women or girls
  • 13% of callers reporting assault were men or boys.

Distribution according to age

  • 31% of callers reporting assault were under the age of 12
  • 33% of callers reporting assault were between 13-18
  • 36% of callers reporting assault were adults

Distribution according to type of assault

  • The most frequently reported assault was rape, sodomy or attempted rape – 36% of all calls
  • 26% reported sexual assault by a close family member (incest)
  • 17% reported sexual harassment
  • 15% reported indecent assault
  • 5% reported gang rape
  • 1% reported exposure to pornography

Distribution according to connection to the attacker

  • The majority of callers reported being attacked by a parent or family member – 28% of all calls
  • 24% reported being attacked by a friend, neighbor or acquaintance
  • 14% reported being attacked by an employer or fellow worker
  • 11% reported being attacked by their significant other/spouse
  • 11% reported being attacked by a stranger
  • 4% reported being attacked by a service provider
  • 3% reported being attacked by a therapist or physical therapist
  • 3% reported being attacked by a teacher
  • 1% reported being attacked by a spiritual leader
  • 1% reported being attacked by a blind date

Statistics from the Israeli Police Force

(Source of data provided by the Freedom of Information Act in the Israeli Police Force. The source for discrepancies between total cases and total offenses is missing data in the Israeli Police Force.)

General Statistics

5,704 cases of sexual offense were opened by the police.

Among them 2,191 were cases of sexual offenses against minors.

4,021 reports were submitted about assault of women or girls.

1,028 reports were submitted about assaults of men or boys.

3,108 reports were against male suspects.

765 reports were against suspects who were minors.

Distribution According to Type of Offense

Most cases opened concerned indecent assault – 2,865 cases.

1,055 cases were opened concerning rape by force or threats of rape

974 cases were concerning an indecent act in public

820 cases opened were concerning sexual harassment

410 cases opened were concerning rape on unlawful grounds

297 cases opened were concerning indecent assault not by force

17 other types of cases were opened

Statistics from the State's Attorney's Office

Source of data is the Freedom of Information Law in the Ministry of Justice

In 2013, the State's Attorney's Office prosecuted 5,238 cases of sexual offenses enshrined by the Penal Code, 2,815 were opened this year.

In 2013, the State's Attorney's Office prosecuted 390 cases enshrined in the Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, 239 of them were opened this year.

Distribution According to type of Offense – Open Cases

Indecent Assault – 1,418 cases

Rape, on the grounds of lack of consent, and sodomy – 1,037 cases

Indecent Assault in Public – 402

Sexual offenses in the family or by a party responsible for a helpless person – 255

Sexual harassment -239

Sex between therapist and patient – 5

Indictments filed against sexual offenses and sexual harassment

In 2013, the State's Attorney's Office submitted 594 indictments including charges of sexual offenses enshrined by the Penal Code and 40 indictments including charges of offenses according to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law.

Distribution According to Type of Offense

Indecent Assault - 385

Rape, on the grounds of lack of consent, and sodomy – 232

Indecent Assault in Public – 103

Sexual offenses in the family or by a party responsible for a helpless person – 62

Sexual harassment – 40

Cases of Sexual Offenses and Sexual Harassment Closed by the State's Attorney's Office in 2013

In 2013 the State's Attorney's Office closed 1,668 cases without submitting indictments concerning sexual offenses enshrined by the Penal Code, and 130 cases of sexual harassment.

Reasons for Closing Cases – Sexual Offenses

71.4% - Lack of Evidence

10.5% - Circumstances did not justify prosecution

10.3% - not guilty

7.7% - Other

0.6% - statute of limitations

Reasons for Closing Cases – Sexual Harassment

65.5% - Lack of evidence

14.5% - Not guilty

13.6% - The circumstances did not justify prosecution

6.4% - Other

It is important to note that according to the not guilty clause, it does not mean that the offense did not happen, rather the incident cannot point to an attacker. For instance, when the victim doesn't know the attacker, incidents of unconsciousness, the offense was committed at a young age and the attacker cannot be located, etc. In the section of the circumstances not justifying prosecution, in most cases the incident was too minor or had little public interest.

Statistics from the Court Administration for 2013

Source of data is the Freedom of Information Law of the Courts Administration.

In the last three years there was a decline in cases of sexual offenses handled by the court: in 2013 – 298 cases were opened, in 2012 – 855 cases were opened, and in 2011 – 1,0008 cases were opened.

Statistics from the IDF for 2013

Source of data is the Section of Complaints, Public Relations Branch, IDF Spokespeople Division

In 2013 there were 561 reports of sexual assault in the IDF that were of military circumstances. Additionally, there were 396 reports of sexual assault that were not of military circumstances.

49% of reports were of physical assault

In 61% of cases a complaint was not submitted.

91% of reports were of assault against women, 9% were assault against men

50% of assaults were made by enlisted men

Statistics of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace for 2013

ARCCI’s Annual Report for 2014 focuses on the topic of sexual harassment in the workplace. Below are the main statistics from the report:

ARCCI’s Main Statistics

The past few years have seen an increase in the percentage of women who report sexual assault at work, among all women reporting sexual assault. In 2009, 17% of all adult callers (over 25) to the rape crisis centers were concerning sexual harassment in the workplace. In 2013, 28% of all adult callers were concerning sexual harassment in the workplace – a total of 300 callers during 2013.

Around 94% of callers about sexual assault at work were women (282 callers), and 6% of callers were men (18 callers).

A sixth of cases were also reported to the police (48 incidents).

Connection to the Attacker

66% were assaulted by their employer, officer or other person of authority

27% were assaulted by a co-worker

7% were assaulted by someone else

Data from the Civil Service Commission

In 2013 136 cases were opened at the Civil Service Commission on the topic of sexual harassment and other sexual offenses. Around 30 disciplinary proceedings were carried out, and 8 class actions were filed in disciplinary court.