A report, uncovered during the Knesset's Special Committee on Foreign Workers on Tuesday, shows that most Thai female foreign workers who work in Israeli agriculture are liable to experience some form of gender-based violence at their jobs.
"The State of Israel has abandoned these women," immigration expert Dr. Yahel Kurlander, who compiled the report along with Dr. Shahar Shoham, said. "A woman that wants to complain has no clear course of action."
"If a foreign worker is required to quit her job due to a complaint she filed, she is also, in fact, losing her place of residence," noted Shiri Lev-Ran, the commissioner for the rights of foreign workers in the Economy Ministry.
"Some are not even fully aware of all their rights."
Representatives from the National Insurance Institute (NII) and Israel Police noted that their systems do not possess the necessary data for complaints from foreign workers and immigrants.
"We have data for complainants who are not Israeli citizens but that might also apply to tourists," a representative from Israel Police stated. According to the rep, some 4% of the 25,494 sexual assault complaints since 2017 were filed by non-Israeli citizens.
In response, committee head and Labor MK Ibtisam Mara'ana expressed her dismay over the lack of data and announced that a follow-up discussion will be held to ensure that the correct measures will be taken to change the situation.
The researchers released a statement on their findings: "In October 2021, Dr. Shahar Shoham and Dr. Yahel Kurlander submitted a working paper to the Knesset's Special Committee for Foreign Workers entitled Working Paper: Gender Based Sexual Violence Against Migrant Workers in the Agricultural Sector in Israel.
"The document is based on the researchers' long-term study, during which they interviewed dozens of interviewees, including migrant workers from Thailand who were employed in agriculture in Israel, as well as representatives of manpower agencies, farmers, and civil society organizations. The document points to the structural conditions of the Israeli migration regime, indicating that migrant workers from Thailand employed in agriculture are liable to be exposed to excessive exploitation, both in terms of employment and living conditions, as well as in terms of sexual violence.
"Contrary to publications, the study is not based on quantitative research with all migrant workers employed in the agriculture sector in Israel, but rather on qualitative research aimed at pointing to the need for structural changes in order to ensure the safety of the workers and the protection of the rights of all workers in the field. The structural failures we highlighted exist to this day, and the need for structural change to protect workers is even more acute in light of the present policies, when the Israeli government has significantly increased the number of migrant workers employed in agriculture."