Knesset committee data reveals courts soft on human trafficking
Data shows courts fine less than 50 percent of those convicted of human trafficking.
By Gideon Alon and Haaretz CorrespondentA Knesset committee on Sunday published data showing courts had been soft on human trafficking in 2005.
According to the committee, sentences handed out to people convicted of human trafficking were considerably lower than the maximum permitted.
By law, the courts are allowed to fine people found guilty of trafficking up to NIS 228,000. In 2005, however, only 23 out of 73 people found guilty of such violations were fined.
Furthermore, the average fine imposed upon those found guilty was NIS 17,400 - only 7.6 percent of the maximum allowed by law.
Jail sentences handed out by the courts were also very low. The average prison term for one found guilty of human trafficking was four years - 16 years lower than the maximum.
The chairwoman of the Knesset subcommittee that deals with human trafficking and prostitution, MK Zahava Gal-on (Meretz), said in response that the government needed to take action to secure the rights of the victims.
"We must make sure the money expropriated from the convicted criminals will be passed on directly to the victims and not to the government coffers," Gal-on said.
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This has gone on too long. Israel seems to be a center for this activity, probably because Russian mobsters entered with the Russian aliah, and set up shop. So much money is generated, that the activity led to corruption. A task force must be set up to deal with this, and the sooner the better.
Is the need for some Israelis to degrade human beings genetic, or are they just amoral monsters? http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2212906081716661355
not only you are a criminal war defender,you are also a law breacker.no wonder,you are representatif of the israeli sociaty
Just read Zeev Shifs article from "Haaretz" how Israel had capitulated on Hamas families demand to visit the imprisoned murderers in Israel,while Haniyeh rejects demand on the Red Cross being allowed to visit Shalit Merciful to cruel seems to be the pervading guiding star of Israel.
Ha'aretz creates the false impression that Israeli courts are only soft on human trafficking. They are too soft on many things: Rape Child molesting Traffic violations Those are the examples I remember offhand. The Rabbis of the Talmud did indeed admonish courts to be merciful, but I think they would be rolling over in their graves if only they knew what kind of lenient sentences Israeli courts hand out. (I once encountered a real tough old coot of a judge for running a stop sign - which I didn't notice. Since there were extenuating circumstances, and I pleaded guilty and was defending myself, I only got fined 1200 shekels which, I was told, was a very light sentence for this tough judge. May there be many more like him!)