16-Year-Old Girl Was Gang-Raped In Eilat / By Ran Volk, Roni Altman and Adi Shani 15.9.20

In our society, girls learn to worry from a very young age about walking alone down the streets, about the way they dress and about drinking one alcoholic drink too many.

As reported in the Jerusalem Post and Ynet (2\9\2020), at the end of August, a 16 year old girl from Ashkelon went to Eilat expecting only to have a good time with her friends, but unfortunately, she came back home with a trauma – a huge trauma, which has scarred her for the rest of her life.

The victim was partying at the Red Sea Hotel’s pool. Some of the people there were 17-year-olds that she knew personally. They were drinking and she began to feel very bad. One of the older men approached her and attempted to make advances, but she immediately rejected him, telling him he was too old for her.

Since she was not feeling well, she went to her friend's hotel room to freshen up. As she was arriving at the hotel rooms' area, one of the older men offered her help, claiming he was a medical professional. He sent one of her friends to the drugstore to get her snacks, effectively sending her away. That is when he led her into a different hotel room. Several males followed and entered the room to rape and sexually assault the victim. They were two men in their late 20s, one 19-year-old and the other defendants were all 17.

The men were seen in the hotel's security cameras entering and exiting the room, texting one another and inviting each other up.

The defendants at court (Photo: Barel Efraim, Ynet 2.9.2020)

We set out to check how different community members reacted to this case. The opinions about the story and rape culture are very painful. We asked Asaf Cohen (17-year-old student) and Daniella Volk (a mom of two girls) about the subject.

Asaf, after you heard the case, do you feel confident going on vacation in Eilat without an adult? "Yes, because usually I am accompanied by a group of friends that I trust with all my heart."

Do you think the fact that the girl was drunk or maybe dressed provocatively justifies the rape? "First of all, I don't think you can justify rape with any excuse. Furthermore, if there is anyone to blame it would be the assaulters and not the girl."

Daniella, as a mother, would you allow your girls go on vacation in Eilat with their friends after what happened? "Absolutely not! But if they were going, it would be after long conversations, warnings and guidance."

Do you think the fact that the girl was drunk or maybe dressed provocatively justifies the rape? "Absolutely not! No one can ever touch anyone else, no matter what, unless there is consent."

This case was one of many. As we mentioned at the beginning, things like this happen to girls and affect them so horrendously, that it lasts for their entire life. The girl in this event, continues to be in a difficult mental state and is being accompanied by a youth investigator.