The enforcement (through criminal and administrative procedures) of the prohibition against trafficking and slavery in Israel over the last two decades is characterised by a focus on isolated, marginal, and sensationalist cases. At the same time, widespread exploitation and abuse in the largest sectors employing non-citizen workers were neglected. This paper draws on three important notions to explain this situation: ‘otherness’ of both victims and perpetrators, ‘public wrongs’ as a principle of criminal law, and public interests shaping the state’s priorities. These notions explain the criminalisation of certain violations and the legal proceedings against pimps, cult leaders and members of ethnic minorities, while large-scale exploitation of non-citizens in the labour market is normalised.
Bio: Dr Maayan Niezna is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Modern Slavery and Human Rights at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre. Her research focuses on trafficking for labour exploitation and the regulation of labour migration.
Bio: Dr Maayan Niezna is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Modern Slavery and Human Rights at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre. Her research focuses on trafficking for labour exploitation and the regulation of labour migration.