One third of Israel’s adolescents at risk of sexual violence, report finds

A third of Israel’s adolescents are at risk of sexual violence, according to a report issued today by the nonprofit organization Elem, which reaches out to troubled youth.

Based on data collected from more than 21,000 young people helped by the organization over the past year, the document — presented to President Reuven Rivlin — asserted that 70 percent of Israel’s 800,000 teens lead normative lives, suffering problems that are typical of adolescents.

Another 15 percent were defined as at moderate risk. These used drugs and alcohol to cope with depression and adolescent issues.

At the more extreme end of the scale, ten percent — 80,000 teens — were unable to function in school, felt like failures, had suicidal thoughts and suffered from serious emotional and family problems.