321 reports. Four indictments. And a stolen childhood

"I was married off at age 15 against my will. I became a mother at age 16." This is not a line from a book, but testimony heard before the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality. This shocking statement reminds us that childhood can be stolen even before life has truly begun.

A girl, and a boy, at age 15 are supposed to be in school. They are supposed to learn, dream, grow up, acquire an education, and shape their future. They are not supposed to bear the responsibility of a relationship, family, and parenthood. That is why the Marriage Age Law determines that the marriage age in Israel is 18. This is not a technical instruction, but a moral decision of a society that seeks to protect its children and ensure them the basic right to grow before they are required to raise others.

The Yavne'el affair does not stand alone; it is an event that shone a spotlight on a broader phenomenon. According to a document from the Knesset Research and Information Center, in the years 2023–2025, 321 reports of suspected child marriage without permission were transferred to the Israel Police, while during the same period only four indictments were filed. This does not mean that every report was well-founded, but the data obliges us to ask whether the tools, coordination mechanisms, and enforcement provide children with the protection they are entitled to.

Yavne'el is a painful symptom reminding us that governance is not tested only by whether every authority fulfilled its role, but by the state's ability to see the full picture. When the health system, education system, welfare services, enforcement agencies, and the National Insurance Institute each operate in their own field, there must be a body whose role is to connect the pieces of the puzzle, identify recurring patterns, and intervene before another child loses their childhood.

Therefore, the required amendment cannot be only criminal. It must be managerial, ethical, and public. The State of Israel needs an integrating mechanism for the protection of minors, which will allow information sharing, identify recurring phenomena early, and establish clear responsibility. Integration is not another layer of bureaucracy, but a way to ensure that no child falls between the cracks.

A society is measured not only by the way it punishes those who harmed its children, but mainly by the way it protects them before they were harmed. If the Yavne'el affair becomes a turning point that strengthens integration between the authorities and puts the child's best interest at the top of the priorities, perhaps from this pain, a correction will grow. Let the children grow before they raise children. This is not just a moral call, it is the first duty of the State of Israel.

Yair Avidan is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the "A Home for Every Child" association, a director, and a social activist.