2018 saw 8% rise in instances of child abuse, Welfare Ministry says

Over 20% of 50,976 reported attacks were against minors with disabilities; perpetrators in over 70% of cases were family members

The previous calendar year saw an eight percent rise in instances of child abuse, a Welfare Ministry report published Monday said.

The total number of reported attacks on minors climbed from 47,447 in 2017 to 50,976 in 2018, according to the annual report mandated by the Youth Law.

In 22 percent of the reported attacks in 2018, the victim was a child with disabilities, and in 71% of the instances, the perpetrator was a member of the minor’s family.

Israel has 722 social workers who work within the various municipalities and are trained to act in cases of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect against children, the report said.

Most of last year’s reported incidents were of neglect, 14,342 (30.6%); followed by physical abuse, 11,633 (27.4%); sexual abuse, 5,461; (11.7%) and psychological abuse, 3,425 (7.3%).

Boys appeared to be slightly more vulnerable to attacks than girls — 53% compared to 47%, according to the Welfare Ministry figures.

Social workers reported over 20% of the instances to police, with more than 2,000 children in such cases being removed from the custody of their parents.

The region with the highest number of reported instances of child abuse in 2018 was the Jerusalem District, which accounted for 32% of the cases. Only 27% of the instances were reported in the larger Central District.