From Israel - Dear Colleagues,

In the framework of our Israeli Fighting Against Trafficking in Women Project, I appeal to all our colleagues about the suspicion of trafficking Israeli women to the US, Canada and European countries.

Isha L'Isha--Haifa Feminist Center, an NGO dedicated to advancing women in Israel, has been fighting against trafficking since 2002.  Presently, our main focus is trafficking victims who have been smuggled into Israel and then sold into prostitution.

An important activity within the framework of the project concerns women imprisoned in immigration detention camps.  We visit them and offer psychological support and legal assistance. If they agree, we send information about them to NGOs in their home countries, in order to ensure their safe return.

We have made significant progress – in close cooperation with other NGO’s – in recruiting the local authorities to our cause, to the extent that now they turn to us in order to identify trafficking victims and to solicit testimonies against the traffickers.

In addition, we operate a 24/7 emergency phone line, through which any victim can solicit our help (very useful when victims try to escape from their owners and pimps).  This hotline is run in the framework of the Choosing Freedom program, which helps trafficked women who wish to escape from the brothels.  Choosing Freedom is a cooperative initiative of Isha L'Isha, the Hotline for Migrant Workers, and the Israeli Association of Rape Crisis Centers. Hotline: + 972 4 543008036.

Since 2003 we have monitored newspaper advertisements calling for Israeli women to apply for “very lucrative work in excellent conditions” in foreign countries, mainly Germany, the U.K. and Canada; almost all (if not all) these ads are intended to recruit women for prostitution in slavery conditions.
We assume that the traffickers are taking advantage of poor economic conditions to lure women into prostitution, making the prospect look extremely attractive.  Once the women succumb to the temptation, they become victims of trafficking and are exploited in the most abject conditions.

In July 2006, the Tel Aviv special assignment police unit initiated an in-depth inquiry on this matter and discovered that tens of women have been deceptively recruited into prostitution in Canada.  On the basis of these findings we assume that there may be hundreds of Israeli women who have met with the same fate in various countries and are looking for help.

We are writing to you because it is imperative that we enlist your help in this matter.  We would appreciate any information that you might have about these cases from the past, present or future.  We are most willing to cooperate with you to facilitate a safe return for any Israeli woman seeking help.  We are able to provide initial psychological advice, legal aid, and limited financial assistance.  If she chooses to testify against her trafficker, we will assist her throughout the entire process.  We can assure you that the help we give to the women respects their privacy and all information is private. 

 We would ask that you pass this letter on to any organizations that are involved in the issue of trafficking women.
 
 Feel free to contact me for additional information.

Sincerely,