A newly circulated report reveals that approximately 70 underage girls in the Yavne'el community became pregnant, adding to earlier findings of 87 minor pregnancies since 2015 as police investigate suspected child marriages.
New data published this evening indicates that approximately 70 underage girls in the Yavne'el community became pregnant, according to a report. The figure comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the closed religious community, where child marriage has been documented despite legal prohibitions.
The Zioneer has previously reported on the issue. Earlier today, a Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) report found that 87 minors had been pregnant in Yavne'el since 2015, and that the number had more than doubled in the past five years. That report followed a police investigation last month that detained several residents on suspicion of facilitating secret marriages involving minors, some as young as 12. Investigators then identified more than 20 cases where minors gave birth without a recognized marriage.
The newly reported figure of about 70 minors appears to be a separate data point, though its exact relationship to the earlier 87 figure is not yet clear. The report does not specify the timeframe for the 70 pregnancies. The community remains under legal and social scrutiny, with authorities continuing to probe the scope of the phenomenon.
3 developments
- StrongPolice detain Yavne'el residents in probe of child marriages, uncovering over 20 underage births
- StrongReport: 46 underage births recorded at two hospitals from Yavne'el over seven years
- DevelopingChild marriage persists in Yavn'el community, defying Israeli law
- DevelopingMinor arrested in long-running undercover probe over dozens of drug deals
Source and signal
- Internal intake