sexual buse

times of israel




This week, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women will be marked in Israel — as in other parts of the globe — in the midst of a massive outpouring of testimonies of widespread sexual harassment. The local version of the #MeToo phenomenon (#GamAni) that is sweeping the country has enabled many to expose incidents of abuse — and even outright violence — which they have kept pent up for years. They, like their counterparts elsewhere, have had the courage to expose offenders, detail violations, name names and seek justice. They have been met with a mixture of astonishment, empathy, identification, disbelief, derision and even contempt. All too often, the victims have been transformed into aggressors, denounced for everything from fueling women’s resistance to the dissemination of dangerous lies.