A recently published report on the state of affairs for refugee and asylum-seeking women residing in Israel sheds a painful light on the conditions these women live in and the corners they are pushed into. Among several other factors, female asylum seekers face higher rates of extreme poverty and exploitation. The report depicts a noticeable imbalance and gendering to the struggles of asylum seekers in Israel.
Published by ASSAF, Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel, the report states that among asylum-seeking and refugee women, the poverty rate is twice that of men, reaching 64% compared to 33% for men.
Eritrean women, in particular, suffer from food insecurity at alarming rates; of the 90% of Eritrean women impacted, only 30% experience “moderate” food insecurity compared to another 60% who face extreme food insecurity. This 90% is just above that of Ukrainian female refugees, suffering at 70%, with 50% impacted by “moderate” food insecurity and 20% in a more extreme position.
Israel’s population of asylum seekers has remained high, with 19,500 of them being women. The majority of those women come from Eritrea and Ukraine, with a minority of Ethiopian, Sudanese, and Congolese descent.
Their stay in Israel is legal, and they are protected from deportation under group protection orders. Though they can legally remain in Israel, with no guarantee that their asylum application will be approved with an exceptionally low acceptance rate, they lack basic protections. Though they are able to remain legally, they are devoid of social security, rights, and are subject to discrimination and abusive policies by Israeli authorities.
First-hand testimonies
ASSAF’s report gathered information for their report from first-hand testimonies, among other factors. These experiences shed light on how refugee women in Israel run into the same issues and struggles as everyone else — with the added parts that come with being a woman.
This includes but is not limited to surviving as single mothers in a country where you have no rights, raising families, and building a life without any access to rights like national or public health insurance and other social services — some of which have been experienced for nearly two decades.
Their lives have been lived in the margins of Israeli society while still dealing with the traumas faced by many seeking protection.
What are examples of ways the lives of refugee women in Israel have been impacted?
Among the key factors highlighted are employment, housing, physical and mental health, and overall livelihood.
Housing is a particular struggle for asylum seekers and refugees in Israel. Many live in shared living spaces in overcrowded conditions, forcing women and their families to share their already limited space with family members, couples, other single women, and even men from their communities.
They are also subject to poor conditions and harm from other tenants and their landlords. Women find themselves reaching out to ASSAF and other related organizations when being threatened with eviction, largely related to the financial distress caused by a lack of rights and Israel’s multi-front war.
Though refugee women are allowed to be employed, they do not have official work permits, ASSAF clarified. The lack of the official papers needed creates an environment for trafficking and employer exploitation.
Many work in particularly physical roles, which for many women is a cleaner, among other roles. Their earning potential is relatively limited and if they get sick or injured, they may be left without the ability to work — nor any access to unemployment or disability benefits.
These conditions often force refugee women to turn to unorthodox methods to support their survival. Some of these methods include sex work. Prostitution and the solicitation of sex workers were recently banned in Israel, putting those in the field for survival at an even higher risk. Many of these women find themselves on the street in “jobs,” ultimately threatening their safety and well-being.
The latest US State Department trafficking report, published in 2024, alleges that Israel’s refusal to examine asylum applications (including those of potential trafficking victims) and the economic distress they face heighten their vulnerability to human trafficking and survival sex work.
The National Health Insurance Law does not apply to refugees, the NGO stated, noting that the only time they have access to public health services is in case of life-threatening emergencies. Even if facing severe conditions like cancer or diseases of the heart, liver, and kidneys, they are only treated in the emergency room until they are discharged to independently find suitable treatment, medication, follow-ups, and exorbitant hospital bills. Conditions diagnosed before their limited coverage enrollment are not necessarily covered in their cases.
The mental toll from life as a refugee is already taxing, and the addition of constant instability and distress, trauma in their home countries, their journey, and their lives in Israel — with the added limbo many will remain in for decades — has also led to an increase in mental health issues as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Refugee life in Israel already comes with its own obstacles, and the state of affairs for women in these situations shows that different genders have vastly different experiences and struggles.
