The Knesset plenum approved Monday the final readings of a bill by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to protect victims of sexual assault and allow them to be interviewed by the media.
Until now, the Penal Law has prohibited publication of the particulars or identity of a complainant or victim of a sexual offense, unless consent has been given in court, or a court has allowed it for special reasons. The punishment alongside the offense is a year in prison. While the prohibition was intended to create a "safe ground" for victims of sexual offenses to file complaints and cooperate with criminal proceedings, without fear that their identity will be exposed against their will, it created an absurd situation according to which sexual assault victims were punished twice: once during the assault and a second time when they are forbidden to tell the public about the attack.