The Forum meets with Deputy Chief of Judiciary Court

The Forum to Combat Violence against Women has met with Cheikh Youssef I’dees, the deputy chief of the judiciary court, in Ramallah at the Supreme Judiciary Court.

The meeting is a fruit of constant feminist efforts to eradicate all types of violence and discrimination against women, through reviewing the laws and proposing amendments based on gender equality. The meeting was concluded with a document for women’s rights that is currently considered a reference to the Palestinian feminist movement for the legal, economic, social and even personal rights of Palestinian women.

The forum members acknowledged Cheikh Idees’s efforts to support women’s rights to inheritance, which states that the amount of inheritance must be valued after 4 months of the death of the inheritor, in addition to issuing a financial statement of all amounts of money and verifying it from the municipality or the local council.

Moreover, the Forum acknowledged Mrs. Idees’s decision that men should form their first wives, before remarriage, and their fiancés of their first marriages.

On his behalf, Cheikh Idees expressed his willingness to work with the feminist movement and help achieve its just demands. He added that the new law that states that the man should notify his wife before remarrying protects women’s dignity.

In the end of the meeting, the Forum thanked Cheikh Id’ees for his efforts and understanding of the feminist movement’s demands, as the members also urged him to take more procedures and decisions to protect women’s rights and dignity.

Ramadan Dinner for PWWSD Staff

Nablus: among the activities at the Youth Centre in Nablus, 50 young women and men from the PWWSD’s volunteers have gathered in a an extraordinary Ramadan evening in Rafidia. Civic educator Maysara Subuh has coordinated the event, during which the programs and objectives of the organization were reviewed. The event aimed to connect and entertain groups of young people who reel under political, social and economic pressures.

Through the evening, certain activities took place including poetry, which was presented by Nour Ma’alla, Majdi Khatatba, and Asmaa Lahlabat; palestinian folkloric poetry presented by Firas Saifi, in addition to a sketch presented by Masoud Yacine, and another cultural activity presented by Moahad Lahlabat. Montasser Khudair, Mohammed Abu Mazen, Abdallah Soksok and Majed Awwad have also performed entertaining activities which doubled the joy and the fun.

In the end of the evening , Fatima Massri, the supervisor of the children’s library stressed the need to explore the youth’s needs who make the largest portion of the Palestinian society, and are expected to build and develop their country. She hinted that working with young people and preparing them helps achieve the ultimate development of our society. Mayssara Subuh accentuated the need to invest, shape and direct the energy and capabilities of young people, in order to benefit the youth first and their society second.

Women’s Knowledge of Registration Procedures for Elections

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development, in cooperation with the Central Elections Commission, has organized a workshop to analyze women’s knowledge of the registration procedures for elections. Many women representatives of grassroots and civil society organizations, and former local authorities’ candidates attended the workshop that was facilitated by Ne’meh Assaf, the coordinator of the civil participation project at the PWWSD, and Shatha Afifi, the trainer in the procedures and training department in the CEC. Mrs. Assaf and Afifi spoke of the need to expand women’s knowledge of the necessary procedures in order to conduct just transparent elections based on the electoral laws.

On her part Mrs. Amal Khreishe, the general director of the organization welcomed the participants and encouraged their solid political will that is important to impose justice and respect for women’s rights, and build a democratic state that equally respects people rights, and also significant to work to change women’s reality for the better. Khreishe confirmed that the elections, and women’s effective participation in the election process, are essential means of change in the Palestinian society. The election is a national right, an experience women have to encounter in order to learn and build their abilities. Khreishe thanked the CEC for their productive work that is based on justice and equality.

Ne’meh Assaf presented a brief historical background of the elections, its implications and impacts on the Palestinian life. She explored the importance of elections, and how the process legitimizes power, and the right to issue legislations and regulations. More importantly how it allows a great portion of society to practice their political right and freedom of choosing the appropriate people to manage their local affairs. Mrs. Assaf also emphasized the role elections play in monitoring and following-up the work of the elected committees, and the actual achievement of their campaigns’ objectives.

Shatha Afif talked about the work of the elections commission, its structure, offices and missions and the efforts it puts for registration, publicity and awareness, which are considered the first phase of the electoral process.

The participants talked about the experiences, problems and challenges they have faced and learned from, in order to encourage other women who plan to run for the elections, and to help them avoid some of the failures and build on the successes.

PWWSD receives Kindergartens Syndicate

Tulkarem: The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development hosted delegations from the Kindergartens Syndicate, the Ministry of Labor, and the Democracy and Workers' Rights Center at its headquarters on Monday. 40 KG teachers have joined the discussion to talk about the upcoming elections of a new administrative board for 2011, and to overview the financial and administrative board for 2010, as well as to discuss the registration fees of the syndicate.

PWWSD confirmed its willingness to fully cooperate with and support the KGs syndicate as it also accentuated the important role of the KG teachers, and their unionist struggle for the legal, social and civil rights. The Women Empower program at the PWWSD also stressed the importance to build the capacities of the KG teacher, on the personal and professional levels.

PWWSD publishes New Edition of Yanabee'

Ramallah – Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development has finally issued its 61est edition of Yanabee’ “Springs”, which is a social feminist magazine regularly issued by the organization. The magazine features different researchers and feminist and social activists who wrote articles, studies and reports about women’s preparations to participate in the upcoming local councils elections, and the challenges they face to build themselves, and join the political, social and economic spheres. The magazine also features reflections and success stories of women’s experiences in the local authorities, and studies on the law of local authorities’ elections, the labor law, and the lives of Palestinian women refugees, as well as working women in agriculture.

The editorial covered different topics including a call for the Palestinian people to join forces in order to build an independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital; and the need to protect the Palestinian internal benefits and reflect them on ground; the efforts put by the PNA to snatch recognition of the Palestinian State in the UN’s General Assembly; the Israeli aggressive attacks aiming to distort the Palestinian intentional and Arab mobilization for September through aggressing the people, their lands and possessions.