Bill to keep sex offense evidence for 50 years approved for reading

• Published date: 13 October 2021
• Author: EVE YOUNG
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The samples will be stored in police evidence storage and will not be opened except at the victim's request.

A compromise was reached in a conflict between legislators and police on if it would be possible to inform victims as to whether or not there was sperm in the sample collected without opening a criminal investigation.

Police were concerned that the information could be used to obstruct investigations, but reached a compromise in which victims could receive the information in hospital rape evidence collection and treatment centers.

Committee chair MK Gilad Kariv said that he intends to advance the bill with MK Merav Ben-Ari, who placed the bill, so that it is signed into law on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

"There is no way in an advanced country to say that the right of a person to know if he was raped comes second to the right of criminal investigation," said Kariv.

"It's hard to believe but no regulations concerning rape kits were enshrined in the law," said Israel's lobby against sexual violence, who said that they were responsible...