2016-07-19

Khan Yunis

Human Rights Defenders / Gaza

A workshop about “The Phenomenon of Begging in Palestine” was conducted by MUSAWA and the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Network in Khuzaa’s Kindergarten, located in Khan Yunis. The workshop aimed at spreading the culture of human rights in marginalized areas, introducing the community to the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Network to become aware of the Network’s importance and to spread its vision and mission, contributing to raising legal awareness amongst community members, and enabling community groups of claiming and protecting their rights through the available legal tools and mechanisms.

The workshop targeted 22 participants; 18 females and 4 males. And it was lectured by lawyer Souad Al-Sheikh, a member of the PHRDs Network. 

Many topics were addressed during the workshop, including an introduction to the real causes behind the phenomenon of begging; its kinds and effects; what kind of psychological, social, economic, and family-related circumstances lie behind the phenomenon; child beggars; and the responsibility placed upon the relevant authorities to combat the phenomenon.

At the end of the workshop, participants gave the following recommendations: it is highly important to eliminate the phenomenon of begging by cooperating with the competent bodies and raising legal and societal awareness regarding its risks; it is increasingly important to find a radical solution for the problem by examining its causes, keeping in mind that one of the major reasons behind the phenomenon is the high rates of unemployment; and it is vital to demand that the competent authorities offer social security to all individuals who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. 

This workshop comes as part of a project to empower human rights defenders, carried out by MUSAWA in both the West Bank and Gaza, with the support of the European Union.