Assault survivors describe delays, judgment, and lack of care in Knesset testimony

Testimonies of treatment delays, lack of psychological support, victim blaming, and dismissal of sexual assault survivors when seeking acute care were heard at The Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality, which held a session on Wednesday.

The committee was convened to examine gaps in the care provided at acute response centers for victims of sexual assault.

One of the survivors who testified, a photography student named Adi, described her experience seeking help after she believed she had been drugged and assaulted.

“My first assault was in 2022, by my best friend,” she said. “He thought that if I invited him to sleep over, it meant it was okay. Eight months later, I went on a date with someone I met at a bar. He invited me over to see his plants. He gave me a glass of water, and from that point, I don’t remember anything.”

Adi said she initially did not seek medical attention due to stories she had heard from others. Only after the second assault did she decide to visit the acute care center known as Room four.

“I wanted to check whether I had been drugged. That day I had only had two glasses of wine. I woke up naked, and he asked if I wanted breakfast,” she said.

Her visit to the center took place nine days after the incident.

“It took me a while to understand what had happened,” Adi said. “When I arrived, the receptionist said it would take time. I waited two and a half hours for a social worker. In the room, I waited another hour and was asked many questions, like whether I had drunk too much or wanted it. The social worker left the room and said she was not sure what to do.”

Adi said she declined to file a police complaint because she believed nothing would come of it.

“She tried to convince me again, but I said no,” she recalled. “I asked to be tested for a date rape drug. She said it was not possible. After I refused the options presented, I was not given information about my case. A nurse was supposed to come to Room four. That never happened. I was told I did not qualify for a hair test. They gave me an injection, but when I asked what was in it, they did not answer. They just said it would help.”

She received a discharge form stating she would be contacted, but no one followed up.

“Room four made me feel that if you do not arrive on time, you do not matter. And even if you do, that still does not mean anything,” Adi said.

Now a student in the art world, Adi says she has support in her personal life.

“I now have a supportive partner,” she said. “But I was not treated at Room four, and I assume there are many others like me.”

In addition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made a surprise appearance on Wednesday at the meeting of the Knesset’s Committee on the Status of Women, after his ministry had boycotted the opposition-led committee for weeks.

During the session, Ben-Gvir clashed with opposition members and declared his attendance was “to give you a chance,” before promptly exiting.

“I came here to give you a chance,” the minister said during the discussion. “We will bring the police officers, female police officers and ministry representatives to the discussions on one condition – that you behave respectfully toward people who dedicate their lives to the state and that you do not objectify female police officers.”

According to a statement from committee chair MK Merav Cohen (Yesh Atid), the minister left the room when she entered.

“Minister Ben-Gvir arrived unexpectedly at a discussion of the Committee on the Status of Women on the issue of acute care rooms, and fled when MK Merav Cohen arrived,” the statement said.

“He came in order to say that he would ‘give the committee a chance’ and that police officers would attend the discussions – after a boycott that began with MK Cohen’s appointment as committee chair.”

Cohen’s office noted that earlier this week, she sent a warning letter to the minister ahead of a planned High Court petition. The letter addressed what she described as Ben-Gvir’s unlawful instruction to Israel Police, the Israel Prison Service, and representatives of the National Security Ministry to avoid the committee’s proceedings.

The dispute dates back to last week, when representatives from the Israel Prison Service’s Masgav Unit pulled out at the last minute from a committee meeting on violence against women. The session was scheduled to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

At the same time, representatives of the Israel Police and the National Security Ministry were also absent, reportedly due to their participation in a tour of the Masgav Unit with the Knesset caucus for religious and haredi women — an event attended by Ben-Gvir.

The ministry was also absent from a separate professional conference on electronic monitoring, organized by MK Merav Ben Ari (Yesh Atid). Ben Ari sharply criticized the ministry’s decision to boycott the event.

“All of our requests to the National Security Ministry to participate in the professional conference over the past two weeks were met with refusal,” she said.

“Today, everything is clear, and cynicism knows no bounds. The Otzma Yehudit party is exploiting Israel Prison Service resources to advance the minister personally, in violation of the law. I will turn today to legal counsel on the matter.”