reporting sexual assault in the Haredi community on the rise

the news has been reporting this afternoon about a 35 year old man in Bet Shemesh who has been arrested for attacking a 10 year old girl, with possibly other victims as well.

Kikar has added that the fellow arrested is haredi.

Of course the story and incident are troubling and difficult and I wish her the best and if this guy is guilty he should get a nice long prison sentence. Besides for that, what is promising, and relieving, about this report is that it shows that parents are no longer sitting back and not report incidents because the rabbi said not to or because it is a child who cannot be believed or because it will hurt the alleged perpetrators family and/or parnassa. Parents are showing more concern for the children (than for the communal concerns pushed by the rabbis who dissuade people from reporting) and are now reporting to the police, and the Haredi news sites are reporting on these incidents as well, though I do not expect the printed newspapers to report anything about it. Change takes time, but it happens.

It is possible that this is just one isolated case and reporting is not really on the rise, but it seems that this is accepted and acceptable now. I dont see any criticisms of how it should not have been reported, and I think the feeling is since the incident a couple weeks ago in Modiin Ilit with the 7 year old girl that this cannot be covered up any longer.

Then again, it might just be wishful thinking

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