NCJ Number
156233
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This overview of efforts to prevent domestic violence in Israel focuses on hotlines, workshops and lectures, shelters, independent accommodations, self-help groups, legal aid, violence-prevention courses, hospital emergency services, and the changing role of the police.
Abstract
Various private services and organizations provide 24-hour hotlines for battered women. Teams of social workers and lawyers provide lectures and workshops in schools, for women soldiers, social workers, lawyers, judges, police medical staff, and others. There are shelters for battered women and their children throughout the country, including the Arab sector; they provide protection for victims from violent partners. Independent accommodation for single-parent families have recently been provided by the Ministry of Housing, which pays for the rent for 1 year. Self-help groups provide support for women as they deal with their emotions and abusive experiences. Paraprofessional volunteers, lawyers, and social workers provide legal advice to women regarding family disputes, divorce proceedings, child maintenance, and personal status laws. Violence-prevention courses provide treatment for violent men conducted by professional social workers who specialize in the treatment of violence. Hospital emergency rooms provide emergency services by medical personnel trained in dealing with domestic violence cases. The police role in addressing domestic violence has shifted from that of being a mediator and negotiator between the abuser and the victim to that of being a law enforcer. Police also refer abusers to treatment by specialized social services. A pilot model that encompasses the various recommended services for domestic violence victims and perpetrators is described.