Nearly 40% of female guards in Israeli prisons have experienced sexual harassment from inmates or superiors, according to a report by State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman which was released Monday.
The rate of sexual harassment in the Israel Prisons Service (IPS) was found to be 38%. The IDF was found to have a nearly identical rate of sexual harassment, and the Israel Police were found to have a sexual harassment rate of 25%.
In addition, 70% of victims of sexual harassment reported that their cases were either handled in an inadequate manner (44%) or was not dealt with at all (26%).
The Comptroller called the data a "red flag" which demonstrate the need for action and reform by the Defense and Public Security Ministries.
The report is an interim report which was commissioned in light of the pimping scandal at the Gilboa Prison.
The Comptroller also released a report on sexual harassment in the IDF which had not been published previously.
The Israel Prison Service said in response to the report: “We are proud of the important service that the IDF prison guards provide to the IPS and believe in their contributions, women and men together. We do not treat our responsibility for the safety of our personnel lightly.”"