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Consuming prostitution is a civil offense
Fined 2,000 NIS for a first offense and 4,000 NIS for repeat offenses.
Israel Justice Clinic · Project NOA
Prostitution isn’t a vice. It’s violence against women and girls.
14,000 women, men, and children in Israel are trapped in the sex trade. Controlled by pimps, coping through substance abuse, and deeply in debt, the survivors of prostitution need specialized legal assistance to rebuild their lives.
Video: “I Still Feel the Scars”
Our Advocacy
15 years of relentless advocacy.A law that targets the buyers.
Since our founding, JIJ has been committed to eradicating prostitution in Israel and protecting its victims from the sex buyers who exploit them. After 15 years of relentless advocacy, we persuaded the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) to pass an innovative legal framework that criminalizes the consumption of prostitution, while treating prostituted people as victims of violence in need of protection, restitution, and recovery.
The Prohibition on Consuming Prostitution Act
Passed December 31, 2018 and enforced since January 2021:
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Repeat offenders face indictment
Repeat offenders can be indicted and fined up to 70,000 NIS.
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Presence equals consumption
Anyone found in a brothel is legally considered a consumer, regardless of claims otherwise.
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Education over fines
Violators may attend educational sessions with parole services instead of paying a fine, aimed at changing their thinking about consumption of prostitution.
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Annual accountability
The Ministries of Social Services and Homeland Security must report annually to the Knesset on the law’s implementation and its effect on rehabilitating the prostituted population.
With this new legal framework in place, we now provide direct legal services to people leaving prostitution. JIJ lawyers accompany trafficking survivors on their journey to testify against their traffickers, establish legal immigration status in Israel, and secure debt relief.
At the United Nations
Monique Beadle at the UN
Video coming soon
Working Together
The Coalition Against Prostitution
JIJ is an integral part of the Coalition Against Prostitution (CAP), a network of 20 Israeli organizations working together on behalf of victims of trafficking and prostitution. Members meet monthly and stay in constant contact to address issues jointly, working across four fronts:
Legislation
Proscribing the purchase of sex and calling for comprehensive rehabilitation of trafficked and prostituted people.
Direct service
Promoting and providing treatment, rehabilitation, vocational training, and social work access for victims.
Education
Changing public perceptions of prostitution and its ties to trafficking.
Advocacy
Demanding justice for those who have no voice to speak for themselves.
Help us finish what the law started.
You can help us fight for the rehabilitation of trafficking victims and protect them from the perpetrators who exploit them. Israel has already proven this fight can be won. Sustaining that progress, and extending it to the survivors still waiting for a way out, depends on partners who understand that lasting change is built at the source. Stand with Project NOA and help us finish what the law started.