Only two MKs show up for special session on violence against children

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Only two Members of Knesset arrived at a special session held Monday on violence against children, following the recent disappearance and possible killing of four-year-old Rose Pizem. All 120 MKs were invited to take part in the meeting of the Knesset Committee on Children's Rights, but only MK Nadia Hilou (Labor), chairwoman of the committee, and MK Ze'ev Elkin (Kadima) arrived. "Between five and six children are murdered by their relatives every year in Israel," National Council for Child Welfare (NCCW) director Dr. Yitzhak Kedman said at the meeting. Kedman said many of the murder cases were presented as manslaughter or criminal negligence in court. The state is not doing everything in its power to stop these incidents from recurring, he said, adding that "funds must be invested and perceptions changed in order to prevent future murders." MK Hilou said that "the only job for which there is no training, preparation and license is parenting. Society cannot forfeit children in their parent's hands without providing parents with the skills necessary to cope."