ByEVE YOUNG

Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev appointed on Sunday an advisor on violence against women saying that he will review the procedure for filing complaints about sexual violence with her.

The announcement comes following public allegations against Israeli model manager Shai Avital that led Bar Lev to take to Twitter and ask women to come forward with complaints on sexual assaults.

Following "the dozens of testimonies brought to light about sexual offenses in the modeling world, I call on women and ask additional women who have been hurt to file a complaint with the police," wrote Bar Lev.

"Every complaint that is filed will be meaningful, and the police will do everything to examine it fully.

"I understand that filing a complaint about a sexual offense is a painful process that requires great mental strength, it is not a simple request."
It was in recognition of this difficulty that Bar Lev appointed the advisor and will examine ways to improve the manner in which cases are handled by officials and resources for women. This review may be critical as numerous organizations have expressed concern over police handling of sexual offense cases.
 
Organizations combating sexual violence and rape culture that have criticized Israel Police include Jerusalem's branch of the SlutWalk organization.The word abandoned "highlights the treatment we get from the state: the victim-blaming that we encounter from police; the ease with which violent men are released back to their homes to continue to harm women; [and] authorities that release rapists and attackers – if they are punished at all," said the organization in a Facebook post addressing the organization's name change.
 
Israel Police regularly mishandle sexual offense cases and mistreat the victims of these cases, preliminary findings of a new University of Haifa Clinic for Legal Feminism study published last month show. 
 
The study, which involved speaking with 40 women who survived sexual trauma, found that nearly half of those who went to police to file complaints about sexual offenses were asked questions irrelevant to their case, such as detailed questions about their sexual history. The study also found that 80% of respondents whose first language is not Hebrew were not provided a translator when filing their complaint.
 
Some 80% of study participants also said that their complaint never resulted in an indictment. Victims reported that they were not made aware of their basic rights, such as the right to speak with a female officer or the option to have a volunteer from one of Israel's rape crisis centers be present at meetings with police.
 
“Too often, we see the police fail to collect evidence, ask questions in a sensitive manner and lack the adequate training needed to deal with someone who survived sexual trauma,” said Vardit Avidan, a lawyer and staff member at the clinic, supported by The David Berg Foundation.
 
“As a result, women tend to leave a police station feeling even more defeated than before.”The rate of violent sexual offenses in Israel is approximately 10% higher than the average for OECD countries, according to the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI), which cited information published by Israel’s Public Security Ministry.