Child abuse

'Ritual sexual abuse' of minors: Senior religious Zionist rabbi warns of ‘social narcissism’

Medan said the alleged perpetrators are not strangers but people who may be embedded in daily community life, including in synagogues and shared religious study settings.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rabbi Yaakov Medan speaks during a protest against the planned eviction of the outpost of Amona, in front of the Israeli parliament on January 30, 2017.
Elazar Rumpler, a senior leader within haredi cult Lev Tahor, appearing in the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing in 2020; illustrative.

Jerusalem court sends senior Lev Tahor cult leader Elazar Rumpler to prison in child abuse case

Elazar Rumpler, a Lev Tahor haredi cult leader, was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a total of NIS 22,000 in fines and compensation for assaulting a 10-year-old child.

|ByJAMES GENN
A young Iraqi girl who has reached the age of wearing a hijab, is clothed in the head covering worn by many Muslim women for the first time during a ceremony organised at the Basra International Stadium in Iraq's southern city of Basra on December 11, 2025.

After Iraq legalizes child marriage, Baghdad bridal market booms as young girls sold to older men

Iraq’s decision to introduce the Ja’fari law in January means that girls can be married based on perceived “maturity and physical capacity.”

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
PEOPLE ATTEND a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022.

Iran had highest number of executions in over a decade, human rights report says

Iran's treatment of prisoners in 2025 was also rife with abuses, according to the report, with 2,513 cases of prisoners being held in inappropriate conditions.

|ByTZVI JASPER

Lev Tahor cult leader arrested in El Salvador, to be extradited to Israel

Rumpler is wanted on charges of serious child abuse and attempted to leave Guatemala on a fake passport after previously being placed under a travel ban, according to reports in Israeli media.

JANUARY 14, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Eliezer Rumpler, from the Lev Tahor Haredi Jewish sect arrives to the Jerusalem District Court for a court hearing on June 28, 2020.

Kindergarten teachers arrested on suspicion of child abuse in Modi'in

Israeli police arrest daycare staff in Modi'in for alleged child abuse, following similar case in Tel Aviv where a toddler was injured.

JANUARY 12, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Preschool-age children accompanied by teacher (illustrative).

Tel Aviv daycare owner and assistants arrested for child abuse

The arrests follow an investigation initiated last weekend after a one-year-old toddler returned home from daycare with a broken arm. 

DECEMBER 29, 2024ByHODIA RAN
A DAYCARE CENTER in Jerusalem. [Illustrative photo]

Relative of rescued Lev Tahor member discusses group's psychological abuse - interview

Oded Twik emotionally described the most meaningful moments in the process of rescuing family members from the Lev Tahor cult in Guatemala.

DECEMBER 24, 2024ByMAYA COHEN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A Lev Tahor members demands the release of members of the community after prosecutors say Guatemalan authorities rescued several children and teenagers from the Jewish community following allegations of child abuse, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, December 21, 2024.

From Trauma to Triumph: How one hasidic abuse survivor is inspiring change

Serving the Jewish community, Amudim is a resource center that combats crises by raising public awareness and implementing community-wide educational programs.

DECEMBER 9, 2024ByRAQUEL GUERTZENSTEIN FROHLICH
An illustrative image of a child at a window.

Father accused of sexual abuse of daughter, dealing in child pornography

The man was accused of dealing his daughter's photos in order to receive more child pornography.

DECEMBER 1, 2024ByEVE YOUNG
A PROTEST against the sexual violence committed in the October 7 massacre – and the international silence afterward – takes place outside UN Headquarters in New York City earlier this month.

Parents attempt to honor kill teenage daughter in Washington after refusing arranged marriage

The teenage girl was choked by her parents outside her school in Washington, for reportedly refusing to travel to Iraq to marry an older man.

NOVEMBER 17, 2024ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Picture of Timberline HS Campus - Lacey, Washington

Divorced Afghan child brides forced to return to former husbands under Taliban rule

The BBC, following the case of Bibi Nazdana, reported that the Taliban is invalidating divorces granted by the Afghan court - forcing divorced child brides to return to their previous marital status.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
An Afghan girl stands near her house that was damaged by an earthquake in Kalizei village in the Gayan district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, June 26, 2022.

"Sometimes it’s about saving lives": ELI's fighting against child abuse on all fronts

ELI launches school-based child abuse awareness and prevention program amid societal instability.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
The cornerstone of ELI’s program is an innovative educational entertainment.

After October 7, Israeli children need help

For four decades, ELI, the Israel Association for Child Protection, has been at the forefront of battling child abuse and providing support for victims. After October 7, its role is even more crucial

AUGUST 15, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Girl sitting on grass holding Boston Terrier puppy (illustrative)