FROM MICHAL SELA FORUM:
The Michal Sela Forum wishes great success to Lili Ben Ami, the founder of the association, who announced the end of her role as CEO. Lili will continue to accompany the association on a voluntary basis.
In October 2019, following the murder of her sister Michal Sela, by her partner, Lili embarked on the journey of her life. Out of immense personal pain, she established a life’s work in Michal’s name, charting a new and clear path of combining innovation and technology to save the lives of women trapped in domestic violence and sketching a brave and clear vision: “Zero women murdered in a year.”
Lili coined the phrase “Femicide is not a fateful decision” and recognized that through knowledge, early identification, innovation, and technology, the next Michal murder can be prevented. Under her leadership in the seven years of the association’s existence, the Michal Sela Forum has transformed from a groundbreaking idea into a leading and influential organization that provides practical protection to threatened women and their children, develops technologies to prevent violence, raises awareness of warning signs in relationships, and succeeds in leading actions that change reality in Israel and around the world.
During her years in office, Lili led the development and operation of innovative protection solutions in the field for women’s safety in their homes, harnessing the high-tech and security industries to combat violence against women, creating cross-sector partnerships and promoting policy, increasing budgets, and new government programs. She initiated successful and first-of-its-kind technological events in the field of violence against women, primarily hackathons for the general public, acceleration programs, and brainstorming workshops for survivors of domestic violence. She also initiated national campaigns, education and outreach programs, and toolboxes for the public to identify “warning signs in relationships.” Her activities also contributed to the advancement of the historic law in the world that deprives the murderer of his partner of guardianship.
To date, MSF has provided protection to 1,049 threatened women and 3,986 girls and boys at risk, a total of 5,035 people. So far, there have been 53 real cases in which a murder was thwarted; in the six hackathons that were held, 5,665 programmers registered, 97 companies from the high-tech industry and government ministries took part, 745 ideas for technologies were invented, and 317 teams developed projects. In addition, MSF produced six accelerators; 47 “Nothing About Us Without Us” workshops in which 405 women survivors of violence invented technological projects that would save them, eight mentoring programs, fun days for orphaned children whose fathers murdered their mothers, and more.
The organization currently has 18 employees, 179 volunteers, an annual budget of approximately six million NIS, and offices in Mevaseret Zion. To date, the organization has raised 27.6 million NIS from over 6,000 donors, including CHW. Every month, the public donates an average of NIS 40,000 to MSF in small amounts, reflecting the broad public support for the association and the consensus it enjoys.
For her groundbreaking activity, Lili has won awards and recognition in Israel and abroad, two events at the UN and in parliaments. During this period, hundreds of women shared that her work saved their lives. The mark she left on Israeli society will continue for years to come.
More than anything, Lili gave the forum its special spirit: the belief that change is possible, the determination to turn ideas into actions and the courage to pave a new path where there seemed to be no path. She shattered myths, changed public discourse, and embedded a life-saving message: violence can occur in any home, regardless of class or sector. It also happens to strong and successful women. It is possible to recognize the warning signs in relationships in advance and save lives. Today, thanks to her, the Israeli public knows that when there is obsessive jealousy in a relationship – never leave alone. Murdering women in the house is not a decree of fate.
Lili, thank you for your vision, leadership, courage, and heart. Thank you for turning Michal’s memory into a revolution and the pain into action that saves lives.
The Michal Sela Forum has solid foundations and will continue to be a leading and influential organization in Israel and around the world. MSF will continue with all its might and even expand its activities to save lives and prevent violence against women in the house, led by the incoming CEO, the board of directors, the association’s institutions and the association’s dedicated, professional and veteran staff of workers and volunteers.
Michal Sela Forum is supported by CHW. Click here to read more about CHW’s support of MSF.
