Conflict Resolution holds a round table meeting on the maintenance fund and the enforcement departments

Gaza, Publication and Information Unit:
The project "Towards a society free of violence" at the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution held a round table meeting on "The maintenance fund and the enforcement departments and the possibility of activating them in the sharia courts", in partnership with the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) office. The meeting was held at the Carinos restaurant in Gaza City on 30/5/2013, with the participation of a number of judges, lawyers, police officers and interested people.
At the start of the meeting, Ahmed Hassouna, lawyer at the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, stressed that the aim of the meeting is to expedite the enforcement of maintenance judgments issued by the courts within the sharia departments, away from the regular courts given the overcrowding they suffer from, and to establish the reasons behind the enforcement of the judgments issued, as well as the importance of having courts specialising in enforcement.
For his part, Sheikh Dr. Saeed Abu Al-Jibeen, judge of the Supreme Sharia Court, explained that society is in the greatest need of sharia courts specialising in enforcing the judgments issued, which would make it easier for everyone to follow up the judgment issued in their case.

For her part, Counsel Inaam Inshasi, judge of the Supreme Court, spoke about the enforcement law 3/2005 and about how the enforcement courts receive more than 4,000 applications daily, which makes the task difficult for those working in them.
During the meeting, some of the participating women raised their problems relating to enforcement, and how in some cases a husband prefers prison to paying maintenance or evades the police by changing his place of residence.
At the close of the round table a number of recommendations were reached, namely establishing a dedicated maintenance fund to meet the needs of divorced women and their children whose fathers are in financial difficulty,
in addition to swiftly circulating and publicising the maintenance fund, and amending the text of article 163, paragraph 3.
It is noted that "Towards a society free of violence" carries out its activities and programmes in partnership with the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) office, with the aim of supporting women in need in the Gaza governorates and a number of West Bank governorates.