Israel Railways settles with Paralympic medalist over gender discrimination case
A supervisor demanded that Roni Ohayon abandon a seat for the disabled because an ultra-Orthodox man refused to sit next to her.
The Tel Aviv magistrate’s court judged that Israeli railways would compensate for the Paralympic medalist Roni Ohayon nis 30,000 for discrimination and legal expenses, following forced segregation based on sex during an event that took place in August 2023.
Ohayon is a senior player of the national Israeli national goalkeeper team and silver medalist at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
During the event, a conductor demanded that Ohayon, a disabled woman accompanied by a guide dog, moves from a designated seat for the disabled, because an ultra-Orthodox handicapped man seated there refused to sit next to her. With the free movement of Israel and represented by the lawyer Adiya Scheinwald of the law firm of Kalai, Rosen & Co., Ohayon filed a complaint against the railway for the discrimination it has undergone.
Compensation was provided within the framework of a settlement agreement approved by the court, after the railway initially refused to take responsibility for the incident.
Game of female gold medal – Israel against Turkey – South Paris Arena 6, Paris, France – September 5, 2024 Sevda Altunoluk of Turkey and Roni Ohayon of Israel after the match (Credit: Kacper Pempel / Reuters)
Bring changes to the future
As part of the agreement, the Israel railways have undertaken to refine its procedures, by placing a clear signaling in cars and platforms prohibiting the demand that a passenger movement according to their gender, carrying out training for employees on the prohibition of discrimination and the development of personalized training programs.
The management of railways will update employee representatives and ensure that procedures are implemented in practice to prevent similar incidents from reproducing in the future.
After the approval of the court, Ohayon said: “I thank Free Israel for having supported the fight against discrimination and the exclusion of women on public transport. My goal in this fight was not to receive financial compensation, but to cause a real and lasting change, which will guarantee in the future, more women with and without disability could sit wherever they choose, without being discriminated against.
“I congratulate the Israel railways for its decision to refine the procedures, to conduct training for staff and, above all, to install an electronic signage which will remind passengers of the prohibition of discrimination. In such a complex period for the country, it is rewarding to discover that there are always positive public changes, even if they are small, which can lead us to accessible public transport, without discrimination.
The free movement of Israel, which accompanied Ohayon throughout the struggle, said: “We congratulate Roni Ohayon for the right and justified struggle that it has led for two years and you recall: there is and will not be room for discrimination against women, not on public transport, not on Israeli railways, or nowhere else.”
The declaration continued: “Operators of public transport and all those who provide public services must internalize: the public will not accept the exclusion of women as the order of the day, and any case will be treated with the greatest gravity. The case and experienced discrimination are invited to contact us. “”
