2017-11-25

West Bank & Gaza

West Bank / Gaza

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, MUSAWA – The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession conducted three workshops in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Two of these workshops were carried-out in cooperation with the members of the Lawyers for the Rule of Law Groups (friends of MUSAWA) and the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders’ Network (PHRDs), under the title: “Women Rights According to CEDAW”, one of which was held in the village of Ein Areek- Ramallah, while the second workshop was held in the village of Al-Simia village- Hebron. The third workshop was carried-out in cooperation with the National Center for the Improvement of Rural Areas in Khan-Yunis.

The three workshops dealt with the issue of violence against women in legal terms, with reference to the CEDAW Convention and the Palestinian legislation guaranteeing the effective legal protection for women against violence, in addition to the procedures for filing complaints of violence against women, and the institutions supporting abused women to offer them the necessary legal assistance. At the end of the workshops, the floor was open for discussion and legal advice.

A total of 59 citizens participated in the two workshops which were held in the West Bank, including 39 women; and 13 participants, including 7 women, took part in Khan-Yunis’ workshop.

The workshops were facilitated by the lawyers Baha’ Khalaf, Mai Amro, Ali Darras, and Lucy Abu-Ekeil, all of whom are members of the Lawyers for the Rule of Law Groups (friends of MUSAWA) in the West Bank, in addition to the lawyer Faten Loulou, a member of the PHRDs’ Network in Gaza.

These workshops come as part of the legal clinic program, which MUSAWA conducts in marginalized areas both in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.