Sexual Assualt Conference at Laniado
A ceremony to mark the opening of the Centre for the Treatment of Victims of Sexual Abuse at Laniado Hospital was held last month.
The driving force behind its opening is Ms Noga Aharoni, a representative of “City without Violence” at the Netanya Municipality, and Ms Betty Koren who is the director at the Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault in the Sharon Region.
The centre recently acquired a colposcopy system making it possible to document findings and submit them as legal evidence in court. The centre will work in close cooperation with the Institute of Forensic Medicine which offers legal and medical services for the aim of collecting evidence against the attacker.
"This is wonderful news for residents of the Sharon area,” said social worker Edna Segal, director of social work at Laniado Hospital, who headed the multi-disciplinary staff involved in setting up the centre. “Until now, women who were sexually assaulted had to go to Bnei Zion Hospital in Haifa or Wolfson Hospital in Rehovot (about an hour's drive) for the purpose of collecting forensic evidence. For a woman who underwent such a trauma, it is best if all the services she needs - medical treatment, psychosocial treatment and forensic documentation , are easily accessible.
Our medical staff, headed by Dr. Yaakov Mamet, have received special training from the Institute of Forensic Medicine. Unfortunately our team encounter cases of sexual assault every week therefore the training is crucial.