Study: Israeli immigrant youth disadvantaged

A disproportionate number of disadvantaged Israeli youth come from immigrant families, a study found. Research data published this week by Israel’s Immigration and Absorption Ministry suggest that while immigrant children make up 10 percent of Israel’s minors, they account for 18 percent of juvenile crime. Furthermore, one-third of immigrant children belong to single-parent families, and one-third live beneath the poverty line, figures above the national average. The research, conducted during 2006, has prompted the Immigration and Absorption Ministry to explore ways of improving immigrant youth’s integration into Israeli society.