Nearly one in five children in Israel suffers from sexual abuse

The annual report of Israel’s National Council for the Child, which was presented to President Shimon Peres on Sunday, reveals that one in every three children in Israel suffers from poverty, and nearly one out of every five, or 17.6 per cent, has been sexually abused.

Nearly half of the children suffering from sexual abuse were assaulted more than once.

The report, drafted by the council’s president, Dr Isaac Cadman, also shows that about half of the children in Israel have been exposed to violent assaults. According to figures cited by the Jerusalem Post, the rate of violence against Arab children, 67.7 per cent, is significantly higher than for Jewish children, 48.5 per cent.

In addition, Arab children are two to three times more likely than Jewish children of being victims of violence from a teacher or staff at school.

It is noteworthy that the number of children in Israel is now estimated to be more than 2.5 million, out of a total Israeli population of almost 8 million.