In May 2026, the RAIA Project participated in the first international Expert Group Meeting convened by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which focused on developing practical tools to help first responders identify, document, and preserve indications of sexual violence at terrorist attack scenes.
In May 2026, members of the research team of the RAIA Project, which documents the sexual crimes committed during the October 7 attack, participated in international expert discussions at the headquarters of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna.
The meeting was led by UNODC and the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations institutions in Vienna, headed by Ambassador David Roet and Deputy Head of Mission Mr. Itai Tavor.
The first working group meeting brought together experts in international law, terrorism studies, forensic medicine, trauma, and human rights from a range of countries, including Canada, Switzerland, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines, and Argentina.
The RAIA Project was represented by Professor Yifat Bitton, an international legal scholar, President of Achva Academic College, principal investigator, and initiator of the report; Adv. Vardit Avidan, Director of WIZO’s Legal and Therapeutic Division; Adv. Shir Bukra; and Hodaya Shaked. All four are members of the report’s research team.
The toolkit is intended to address one of the most significant gaps exposed following the October 7 attack: the absence of tailored tools for identifying, documenting, and preserving evidence of sexual crimes committed amid the chaos of a terrorist attack, armed conflict, or mass-casualty event.
