The Collapse of Semi-Legal Institutions Among Ethiopian Immigrants in Israel and Their Impact on Intimate Partner Femicide in the Community

Ethiopian Jews belonged in Ethiopia to a patriarchal culture, where violence against women was not only acceptable but legitimate. In extreme cases, the battered woman could appeal to the community’s elders. They functioned as a semi-legal institution, acting as a barrier against extreme violence towards women and preventing incidents of intimate partner femicide (IPF). In Israel, battered women began to avoid the elders after learning that it was preferable to appeal to the social services and lodge formal complaints about violent partners with the police. Ethiopian women are overrepresented in IPF to the extent of 16 times the rate in Israel’s population. The professional literature emphasizes socio-cultural changes, such as the reversal of gender roles and status among Ethiopians in Israel, as the main risk factors in IPF. However, psychological risk factors must also be considered concerning these changes and that some Ethiopian men cannot accept them. The current article points out specific triggers and aims to address whether the collapse of the elders as a mediation mechanism has contributed to the high levels of IPF among Ethiopian women in Israel.

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