Committee on the Rights of the Child
Sixty-ninth session
18 May–5 June 2015
Item 4 of the provisional agenda
Consideration of reports of States parties
List of issues in relation to the report submitted by Israel under article 12, paragraph 1, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
The State party is requested to submit in writing additional, updated information ( 15 pages maximum), if possible before 20 April 2015.
The Committee may take up any aspects of the children’s rights set out in the Optional Protocol during the dialogue with the State party.
1.Please provide statistical data (disaggregated by sex, age, nationality, ethnic origin, socioeconomic background and urban and rural residence) for the past three years on the number of:
(a)Reported acts of sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, as well as other forms of exploitation, including child sex tourism, with additional information on the type of action taken as a result, including the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators;
(b)Children trafficked from or through Israel and children trafficked within the country for the purpose of sale, prostitution, forced labour, illegal adoptions, organ transfer or pornography as defined in article 3, paragraph 1, of the Optional Protocol;
(c)Child victims who have been provided assistance with reintegration or have received compensation.
2.Please provide further information on how the existing laws specifically regulate offences under the Optional Protocol when committed against children under the age of 18.
3.Please provide updated information on the investigation of cases of child pornography since 2011 and their outcomes. With reference to paragraph 105 of the State party report (CRC/C/OPSC/ISR/1), please explain the reasons for the sharp increase in cases of child pornography in 2008 and 2009 and why only 45 cases out of 468 were prosecuted between 2004 and 2011.
4.Please indicate if the State party plans to adopt a specific plan of action concerning the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
5.Please indicate if there is a governmental body or agency that is responsible for the coordination of activities under the Optional Protocol, including monitoring and evaluation.
6.Please provide information on the financial resources specifically allocated and spent for the implementation of the Optional Protocol.
7.Please indicate what activities have been conducted to raise awareness and disseminate the Optional Protocol among the general public, including children, and relevant professional groups working with and for children, and what were the results obtained. Please also provide information on training provided to professionals working with and for children, such as law enforcement authorities, including border control officers.
8.Please provide further details on specific measures taken to prevent children from becoming victims of offences under the Optional Protocol, in particular children in vulnerable situations, such as girls victims of domestic violence; children in street situations; children living in institutions; Bedouin, Palestinian and Arab Israeli children; as well as children of migrant workers and asylum seekers. Please also provide further details on specific measures taken to prevent the emerging “underage child prostitution” in Israel. Please indicate whether there is a mechanism in place in the State party to identify and detect children who are at particular risk of becoming victims of any of the offences under the Optional Protocol.
9.Please provide details of the measures taken and progress achieved by the State party to prevent the involvement of Israeli citizens in sex tourism abroad and to publicize the World Tourism Organization Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. Please also indicate whether a system for monitoring and reporting cases of sex tourism has been established.
10.Please provide information on the measures taken to prevent Israeli citizens from engaging in the sale of children abroad. In particular, please indicate the measures in place or envisaged to prevent Israeli citizens from obtaining children from surrogate mothers abroad in conditions amounting to sale.
11.With reference to paragraph 128 of the State party report, please provide updated information on mutual legal assistance agreements between Israel and other countries in relation to legal proceedings, including extradition, concerning the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
12.Please clarify whether all children below the age of 18 years benefit from full protection against offences under the Optional Protocol. In particular, please indicate if any steps have been taken to bring the Law of Evidence Revision (Protection of Children) 5715-1955 into full compliance with the Optional Protocol and other applicable international law.
13.Please inform the Committee about mechanisms established to identify child victims of sale, prostitution and pornography. Please elaborate on measures taken to protect the rights and interests of child victims and witnesses of crimes under the Optional Protocol at all stages of criminal proceedings. Please provide information about procedures established and measures taken to ensure the safety and integrity of persons and/or organizations protecting victims.
14.Please provide further information on social reintegration assistance as well as physical and psychosocial recovery measures available for victims of offences covered by the Optional Protocol. In particular, please inform on progress made in establishing crisis centres referred to in paragraph 231 of the State party report.