Stop Violence against Women!

With the participation of the family protection unit in the Palestinian police, the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development organized a workshop on Wednesday to discuss the possibilities of combating violence against women. The workshop that took place in the social feminist center featured the first lieutenant Mohammed Jawabreh and more than 45 women, in addition to a delegation from the PWWSD’s office in Ramallah and Nablus, Suhad Abdellatif from the programs desk, Samar Hawash the coordinator for the women empowerment program in Nablus, and Esther Stepler CFD’s coordinator in the Middle East.

Suhad Abdelatif explored with the crowd stories of violated women, in order to define violence, its forms and causes and the possibilities for combating it. Violence against women is related to social violence, as husbands beat their wives, and mothers beat their children, and bosses beat their workers and the rich dominates the poor, and the Israeli occupation is one of the main factors of violence, practiced against Palestinians, whether men or women, old or young. Suhad also explained that women most of the time take the blame because they remain silent, ignore or even sympathize with the aggressor, who is often their husbands, fathers, or brothers. Therefore, they encourage this approach, in edition of course to ignorance, and traditions which favor men’s domination over women.

Abdelatif called for modifications to the operating laws in the Palestine, which discriminate against women and are not even Palestinian. She at the same time commended the advice of the deputy chief of the judiciary court Mr. Youssef Id’eis, like informing the first wife of intention of a second marriage, and also the identification of inheritance.

Mr. Mohammed Jawabreh talked about violence against women and its causes and the factors that played a role in establishing a family protection unit in the police system. He pointed out the need for violated women to report to the protection centers for help, and that there is an open-line started for women to be able to call at any time.

In the end, participants recommended combating violence with awareness and the modifications to the current laws, in addition to empowering women economically and stating a certain age for marriage to prevent early marriage, and also modifications in the Palestinian curriculum.