The number of homeless youth in Tel Aviv is on the rise while more teenagers fall victim to sexual violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, a recent report shows.
According to an annual report released by non-profit organization Youth in Distress in Israel (Elem) on Thursday, there was a 25-percent rise in the number of homeless youth residing in Tel Aviv in 2013.
Some 506 homeless youth sought assistance from the Elem institute in 2013, up from 400 the previous year, the report added.
The organization also said that the homeless youth in Tel Aviv often suffer from drug addiction and alcohol abuse, getting involved in crime and prostitution for survival.
Elem’s 2013 report further showed a 13-percent surge in the number of teens who fall victim to sexual assaults or sexual exploitations mostly by someone in their acquaintance or other teenagers, to 1,689 last year, up from 1,495 in 2012.
The study also presented grim data on the major issues facing youth from the Ethiopian community in Israel, including poverty, school dropouts, drug addiction, suicidal tendencies and feelings of racism and discrimination.
Last December, official data of Israel’s annual poverty report, published by the National Insurance Institute (NII) and the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), showed over 1,700,000 Israelis, including one-third of Israeli children, were living below the poverty line.
Over the past years, high taxes and low salaries have had adverse effects on the lives of Israelis, particularly the middle class.
Many Israelis have been migrating in recent years to Germany and the United States. It is said they are leaving Israel for economic reasons.
