2019-04-14

Gaza

Gaza

Mr. Azzam Al-Shawwa, CEO of the Palestinian Monetary Authority

Mr. Hashem Al-Shawwa, CEO of Bank of Palestine

Subject: Negative Discrimination in Financial Transactions is a Violation against the PWD's Constitutional Rights

MUSAWA- The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession extends its warmest greetings to your excellences, noting that the center’s office in Gaza has received a written complaint from the citizen: Bader Abdulqader Mesleh, resident of Al-Wosta Governorate, who works for the Humanity & Inclusion Organization (HI), stating that Bank of Palestine’s branch in Deir Al-Balah discriminates against him, as the bank required him to obtain a card that proves his vision disability from the People With Disabilities- PWD’s Union, even though his disability is already proved by official medical reports. However, the complainant added that he is suffering from the lack of harmonization in the Bank for people with visual impairments, as it consumes him a lot of time to proceed with his bank transitions. 

The complainant added that he gets embarrassed when asking the bank customers to notify him when his turn comes, as the bank boards, on which the numbers of customers appear, are not sound compatible, the thing that makes it difficult for the persons with visual impairments to know their turns, thus they tend to ask the customers for help. The complaint indicated that the bank does not provide the harmonization’s requirements that can help the PWDs with their transactions.          

In the same context:

The center has received a written complaint from the citizen: Dalal Mohammad Al-Taji, the head of the continuing education department at the Palestinian Red Crescent/ Khanyounus, in which she stated that the Palestine Bank’s branch in Khanyounus discriminates against her, as it unlawfully requires two witnesses whenever she wants to perform a deposit or withdraw transactions, which violates her right to confidentiality and indicates that she’s being dealt with as someone who lacks sanity. The complainant added that she is suffering from the lack of harmonization in the Bank for people with disabilities, as it consumes her a lot of time to proceed with her bank transitions, which indicates that the bank does not provide the harmonization’s requirements that can help the PWDs with their transactions.

MUSAWA sees that the contents of the complaints, if true, are in violation of the PWD’s rights, as they represent an utter violation of the human rights and human dignity, which constitutes a discrimination that contradicts articles 9 & 32 of the Basic Law, and a breach of article two of the PWD’s act and the constitutional principles that guaranteed that all citizens shall enjoy their human rights equally.  

Thus, we ask you to address our memo and to keep us updated with the actions taken by your side, which should include your commitment to harmonizing both the Bank place and transactions of the bank to guarantee that the PWD’s rights are respected duly.   

With All Due Respect,

Issued on 7/4/2019

MUSAWA

Attachments:

-Copies of the two complaints