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Last update - 05:42 01/12/2008
Soldier raped during service sues IDF to classify her as disabled
By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, IDF, disability 

A 20-year-old who was raped during her military service in the Israel Air Force is suing the Defense Ministry to classify her as disabled due to the emotional distress the attack has caused her.

The lawsuit says that the woman's commanders prevented her from receiving psychological treatment, "grounded" her when she was unable to fulfill duties on base and threatened her with a lawsuit or imprisonment. Ultimately, it states, she collapsed and was released after an army psychologist assigned her the lowest possible health "profile," or physical and psychological rating.

Attorney Anat Ginsburg, formerly deputy Tel Aviv district attorney and an expert in disability lawsuits, who is representing the plaintiff pro bono, said the woman is the daughter of immigrants from France, all of whose brothers and sisters served in the Israel Defense Forces. She said the woman was highly motivated and in good health when she started her military service, being assigned a health profile of 87.
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The woman worked in maintenance for an elite airforce unit in the north. In May 2007, she was raped and sexually molested by a soldier on her base. He was tried and reached a plea bargain in which he admitted to sexual molestation. He was sentenced to four years in prison, but effectively only had to serve one year.

Three days after the incident, the female soldier was hospitalized after fainting and vomiting. When she was released from the hospital, she requested psychological help and was referred to a military health officer. Ginsburg said that after the initial meeting, the mental health officer refused to meet with her again, saying she did not need treatment.

Several days later, the woman was told to report for kitchen duty. According to the lawsuit, "she was unable to function and went to the infirmary, but they did not want to accept her." For her refusal to report to kitchen duty, she was confined to the base for a week.

As the weeks passed, the soldier deteriorated. Still required to go about her routine on the base, she wore a jacket in the peak of summer and vomited, but was not given treatment. One day she felt she could not continue and went home, where she lay in bed for a full week.

Ultimately, she was referred to an army psychologist, who examined her and determined she should be released from military service. A committee of physicians accepted the recommendation, and she was released three months after the assault.

The police's Criminal Investigation Unit has launched an inquiry into the case.
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  1.   When Soldiers Are Raped, It Doesn`t Inspire Confidence 06:52  |  UsedToPostHere 01/12/08
  2.   Raped Soldier 08:07  |  MIchael 01/12/08
  3.   Sad story 08:07  |  Jon 01/12/08
  4.   jon 08:48  |  Reemo 01/12/08
  5.   Alice Miller, Nir Galili, Moshe Katsav - deja vu? 09:11  |  Manny Goldstein 01/12/08
  6.   The tariff for the IDF 09:13  |  Clickfool 01/12/08
  7.   i guess it`s NOT just the palestinians 09:20  |  eric 01/12/08
  8.   the people of Israel have been raped... 09:35  |  a voice 01/12/08
  9.   systemic military problem 11:07  |  Jacob 01/12/08
  10.   For the first time I`m starting to see the Chareidim`s point 00:57  |  see the light 02/12/08
  11.   re: eric 06:17  |  UsedToPostHere 02/12/08
  12.   re: Manny Goldstein 06:21  |  UsedToPostHere 02/12/08
  13.   Clickfool is a joke ...... 08:48  |  Ruth 02/12/08
  14.   #12 Women in senior military roles? 09:02  |  Manny Goldstein 02/12/08
  15.   re: Manny Goldstein 13:41  |  UsedToPostHere 02/12/08
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