A public meeting on "Violence against women" to mark the international day for combating violence against women

Khan Younis, Monday 7/12/2009: this morning the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, in cooperation with the Nawar Educational Centre, held a psychological education meeting on the subject of violence against women entitled "For a Palestinian society free of violence", within the events of the programme for strengthening abused women funded by Norwegian People's Aid.
The meeting was run by the specialist Randa Baraka, in the presence of 68 women of various age groups, and the meeting continued for two hours, during which the concepts of violence, its types and forms and the ways of protection and prevention from it were addressed, with those present taking part by putting forward personal stories from their own reality and lives and recounting them before those present.
At the end of the meeting there was an exchange of discussion between the specialist and those present, and through the discussion with the women the nature of the problems taking place between spouses was identified, along with the causes leading a husband to abuse his wife and the consequences of that, and how to put in place mechanisms for protection from any violent behaviour directed against women.
The meeting thus produced the following recommendations:
1. The women's request for more of such workshops to educate women.
2. Forming committees of women and training them in how to deal with their problems.
3. Holding workshops that bring together women and men.
4. The women's request for help and for guidance on how to deal with their marital problems.
5. The request to open a regular counselling point in the same place where the meeting was held.