The 13-year-old girl who was allegedly raped in a coronavirus hotel by suspect Yarin Sherf earlier this year was to testify against him in court on Wednesday.
The testimony was to be given behind closed doors and the girl will recount the actions of Sherf, 21, who allegedly raped her twice. The incident took place in a coronavirus hotel in Jaffa where both the girl and Sherf were isolating after contracting the virus in February.
During the initial interrogation, police revealed that Sherf had been overheard speaking to friends, threatening to create an "Eilat 2.0," a reference to the gang rape of a minor in an Eilat hotel in 2020 after which 11 suspects were arrested.
Ahead of the initial indictment, Sherf's lawyer claimed that the girl looked older than she was and that the suspect had believed she was 16.
Sherf was originally indicted on charges of forbidden sexual relations, as well as sexual harassment, threats, assault and supplying alcohol to a minor but no rape charge was included in the original indictment.
The decision to indict him on what many saw as only minor charges was met with protests and a widespread backlash. Over 25,000 emails demanding that the charges should include rape were sent to the State Attorney as part of a campaign organized by the Lobby Against Sexual Violence in Israel and Israel Women's Network.
Following the criticism, the State Attorney announced that the indictment against Sherf would be changed to include rape charges.
Commenting on the charges at the time, Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg said that it was "a shame that only widespread public protest made legal authorities do what was obvious," and added that 92% of rape cases close without indictment, highlighting the serious issue.
According to the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI), the rate of violent sexual offenses in Israel is approximately 10% higher than the average among OECD countries.
Additionally, 62% of rape cases reported to the ARCCI involve a minor, according to statistics published in their 2020 report.
In the past year, many people have been arrested for the rape of minors, and in many cases, they do not act alone. In March this year, three suspects were arrested for allegedly gang raping a 16-year-old; another four were arrested in February for the alleged gang rape of a 13-year-old; three others were held for the rape of a 10-year-old girl.
Protests in support of the victim took place outside the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday, at the same time as she was scheduled to testify against the suspect. Dozens gathered to show support, holding signs reading "we will not be silent, we will not surrender," and "you are not alone."
"No matter how many times I hear this sentence [I believe you] being shouted, it will not stop moving me to tears and chilling me to the bone," read a statement from the feminist action NGO "Kulanu."בפנים נערה אמיצה בת 13 מעידה נגד ירין שרף המתועב, בחוץ פעילות שלנו בהובלת מנהלת השטח @Shira__Sch ו@vanellopeglitc האדירה שבאו להזכיר לה שאנחנו מאמינות לה, אנחנו מאמינות לך, את לא לבד - אנחנו כאן לתת לך יד pic.twitter.com/5aAPc7rKxK
— Kulan-כולן (@TogetherKulan) July 14, 2021
"These are not just words - when we stand together, in solidarity, we have power, we change our reality together."Eve Young contributed to this report.