The number of Arab women seeking assistance in dealing with sexual assault has risen as a direct result of the heavy media coverage of former president Moshe Katsav's case, according to the Nazareth-based organization Women against Violence.

The number of women who contacted the organization's center for sexual-assault victims rose 23 percent in May and June, compared to the same months last year, to about 100 women, the group said. And according to center employees, many of these women cited the Katsav case in their decision to appeal for help. Even though this case convinced many women that complaining to the police is not necessarily effective, the employees explained, at the same time, it raised awareness of the fact that sexual assault is illegal and unacceptable.

Aida Toma-Suleiman, the organization's director, said that Arab women are generally more reluctant than Jewish women to seek assistance following a sexual assault, because there is a tendency among portions of Arab society to view the woman as the guilty party in such cases, and the women are concerned about damaging "what is termed the family's honor."

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MK Nadia Hilou (Labor), a socialworker whose esponsibilities have included interrogating minors who were victims of sexual assault, added that Arab victims of sex crimes do not enjoy the support of their society, and often, friends and relatives will publicly deny that an attack took place even when they know that it did. She said that it was vital for Arab political and religious leaders to publicly condemn sexual assault and harassment in order to change this atmosphere.

"As a society, we need to demonstrate sympathy for the victims and to support them, not to accuse them," she said. "They are not the attackers or the guilty parties, but the victims."

Toma-Suleiman added that it is particularly hard for Arab women to challenge sexual harassment in the work place, because it is so difficult for them to find work that "a woman will think 1,000 times before complaining about her boss." According to government statistics, only 17 percent of Arab women work outside the home.

According to Women against Violence, only 22 percent of the women who contact it for assistance ultimately file a police complaint. Toma-Suleiman attributed this to the Arab public's general distrust of the police.