Public support for the law prohibiting being a customer in prostitution increased to 72% in 2024, four years after the law came into effect, according to the Justice Ministry who cited research looking at the impact of the law by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute.
This is compared to 39% support a similar survey showed in 2016, said the ministry.
Despite this, consumption of prostitution increased between 2021 and 2024 from 7% to 9% for Jewish men aged 18 to 70, the research found. This is due to decreased enforcement, the researchers said.
The study also showed that most of those who consume prostitution were not impacted by the law and did not know about the existence of the law.
The study examined the government's decision to allocate NIS 30 million a year for the rehabilitation and treatment of those who want to leave prostitution. Based on the study’s findings, the researchers recommended expanding aid for those who want to leave the cycle of prostitution, increasing enforcement, and increasing public education about prostitution.
The change in public opinion means that prostitutes are no longer blamed for their situation and this also enables them to ask for help, said Lo Omdot Mineged (not standing idly by), an organization that works to help male and female prostitutes.
The organization has seen an uptick in aid requests following the law that supports this idea, they said.
The increase in solicitation is unfortunate, the organization added, echoing the research and saying that this is a result of a lack of enforcement.
Challenges of leaving prostitution
“There is no enforcement, “they said, adding that the minimal enforcement that is done is done for lip service only.
Leaving prostitution is difficult, said the organization. A woman who entered prostitution as a teen and may want to change when she is older but may lack a great deal of experience that would enable her to leave, they offered as an example of the challenges.
Aid needs to be increased, said the organization, and more options need to be offered to people who want to leave the profession.