Security Minister pledges new programs to combat domestic violence
The establishment of the special departments will require budgeting for an additional 36 positions.
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIUpdated: DECEMBER 20, 2017 23:07Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan speaks at the TLV in LDN festival in London(photo credit: SAM ROBERTS)
Special departments to deal with domestic violence will be established in 16 police stations in 2018, Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced on Wednesday.He made this announcement at a discussion of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality on the implementation of the recommendations of the interministerial committee on preventing domestic violence.“Cases of violence and murder in the family, and especially against women, represent a very high percentage of all violent cases and, therefore, my expectation as security minister is that the police will place this at the top of their priorities and allocate resources accordingly,” he said.“This statement of mine is clear and I pass this on at every meeting or visit at a [police] station,” he added.The establishment of the special departments will require budgeting for an additional 36 positions, he said.Despite this, Erdan stressed that it was important to understand that “the police cannot protect every woman 24 hours a day.” But, he added, “We must make sure we do a lot more and give all the tools, the legal support and resources to the police to do its job in the best possible way.”Committee chairwoman MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Joint List) said that the committee discussion on the issue last month revealed that the recommendations have only been partially implemented and expressed concern over a lack of funding for the initiative – valued at NIS 50 million per year for five years.Additionally, Erdan said his ministry was also promoting the “electronic bracelet bill,” initiated by MKs Aliza Lavie and Touma-Sliman, along with initiating a pilot program to begin at the end of the month.The goal of the pilot program, Erdan explained, is to allow the police to ask the court permission to give a man who violates a restraining order or who was arrested with a “high level of danger” an electronic bracelet for tracking to ensure that he is not a danger to his family.
