Maya Oberbaum from the Association of Aid Centers for Victims and Victims of Sexual Assault at a discussion on preventing violence in the evacuated hotels/Maariv
Only in two hospitals where there are mental health departments can women be admitted alone in the department, and in 8 of the 11 mental health hospitals only, according to new data published today (Tuesday) by the Knesset's Research and Information Center at the request of the chairman of the Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women , MK Panina Tamno Sheta, who wanted to examine gender segregation in mental health hospitals.
According to the data, the Ministry of Health also does not oblige the institutions to establish these departments and it is subject to the discretion of the institution alone. In addition, in the mental health hospitals in Geha in Petach Tikva, Shalvata in Hod Hasharon and Shaar Menashe in Jerusalem, there are no separate departments at all. In addition, it was learned that there are no separate general activity classes even between boys and girls and minors.
Of the three hospitals owned by Klalit Health Services, which responded to the request of the Knesset's research and information researchers, they said that they do not support gender-segregated hospitalization, since its disadvantages outweigh its advantages, and the Ministry of Health also acknowledges the existence of this professional dispute.
Most hospitals in the northern region do not include wards exclusively for women; The only two wards intended for women in the northern region are long-term active wards intended for chronic patients and there are no active women's wards north of Netanya. as well as in the south of the country. There are only 30 beds designed exclusively for women and all of them are in the mental health center in Be'er Sheva. As expected, there are enough beds in the central area.
According to Ministry of Health data, 56% of standard mental health hospitalization beds are in mixed wards, 34% of beds are in wards exclusively for men and 10% of beds are exclusively for women. It can also be seen that at the end of 2022 there were 1,149 women hospitalized in mental health wards (35% of all hospitalized).
More sexual assaults in the wards
According to the report, it also appears that according to the data of the Ministry of Health, in the years 2020-2022, 885 complaints were received about sexual abuse of inpatients in the mental health hospitals, the vast majority of them from other patients. This is close to 300 complaints per year on average.
According to the data, the number of complaints has increased In these years, from about 180 complaints in 2020, to about 420 complaints in 2022. Most of the complaints (61%) were for incidents defined as sexual assault or sexual harassment; about a quarter of the complaints (26%) were defined as indecent acts, (12%) were defined as sexual relations that were not In agreement and eight complaints (1%) of all complaints concerned incidents defined as acts of rape.
In light of this, various parties linked the hospitalization in mixed wards and sexual assault during hospitalization, but the Ministry of Health stated that the prevention of sexual violence and gender segregation has been discussed over the years by various committees without a decision Regarding the correct policy,
the ministry emphasized that it is very important to improve the protection of patients and caregivers, especially in wards where involuntary hospitalizations are common or when mentally challenged and criminal elements are hospitalized together.
In which hospitals did sexual acts and harassment take place and who was in charge?
At the Mental Health Hospital in Shaar Menashe, 479 complaints were received about sexual harm, including one complaint about rape, 74 about having sex without consent, 114 about an indecent act, 290 about assault and sexual harassment. 80 complaints were filed in the areas, with 47 of the complaints being about sexual harassment. 74 in Ma'ale Carmel - with 55 complaints of assault and sexual harassment, 16 indecent acts and 3 non-consensual relationships. In Mazur, 55 complaints were filed, 38 assault and sexual harassment, 17 indecent act. In Kfar Shaul 51 complaints, 36 sexual harassment, 11 indecent acts and 4 cases of rape. In addition, 422 events in Gaha, 20 sexual relations without consent. 30 complaints in Abarbanal, 28 assault and sexual harassment and 2 indecent acts. 11 events in Be'er Sheva and one rape case. and 3 complaints in Shelvata.
It also appears that all the institutions, except the Gaha and Merhavim hospitals, stated that the absolute majority of the complaints concerned harm by another patient in the institution. Nine complaints concerned injury by staff members - one complaint in Abarbanel, two complaints and three complaints in Sha'ar Menashe.
According to Ministry of Health data, the majority of those hospitalized in mental health wards are men: during the year 2022, approximately 10,800 men (59%) and approximately 7,500 women were hospitalized. At the end of 2022,
about 2,170 men (65%) and about 1,150 women were in the hospitalization institutions. At the same time, the proportion of women among the hospitalized has increased in the last decade, which may indicate a growing need for torture adapted to women only in the mental health systems in Israel.
And what about transgenders?
As of 2021, the mental health division of the Ministry of Health issued a procedure aimed at labeling guidelines for the accessibility of mental health services for transgender people. The procedure states that each hospital must provide appropriate hospitalization accommodation for transgenders in a manner consistent with their self-definition, including the training of the staff. It was further recommended that as much as possible, the patient be integrated into a room alone in a mixed or defined setting that corresponds to his wishes, containing a sleeping space and a separate bathing space .
In practice, different answers were given from the general hospitals, none of which, according to the researchers, included a reference to the procedure in question. According to the report, it appears that each hospital does as it pleases, with one of the hospitals stating that there are no written instructions on the subject, one maintaining a policy of examining each case individually, and a third institution claimed that an institutional gender committee began to act according to the instructions of the management of the hospital fund about six months ago And that it is formulating its recommendations on the matter in the meantime, the directive that seems to be inconsistent with the procedural directive is that before surgery for gender reassignment a patient is hospitalized according to his sex, and after the surgery according to his sexual identity.