Conflict Resolution Center holds the fourth meeting of the campaign advocating for Palestinian women's rights in Nablus
Nablus, Publication and Information Unit:
The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution held the fourth monthly meeting of the campaign for securing Palestinian women's rights, within the project "A society free of violence" funded by the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) programme. The meeting was organised in the city of Ramallah and attended by representatives of government ministries and civil society and a number of media professionals.
The social worker Wurud Yassin from the Conflict Resolution Center spoke of how her Centre held five workshops on killings on grounds of honour in religion and law in Hebron governorate, and a workshop in Tulkarm governorate addressing sexual assaults from the psychological and legal angle and the need to address them within society. She explained that the document collecting signatures to prevent killing on grounds of honour faces the problem that several groups in society are unwilling to sign, because of their prior conviction that the woman has committed a crime for which she deserves to be killed, as she put it.
In the Ministry of Women's Affairs address, the legal adviser Wafa Al-Araj said: "The clauses of the document collecting signatures to reduce killings on grounds of honour need some amendments in line with the policies of the government as represented by its various ministries," calling for official letters to be sent to obtain the approval of the participating ministries as represented by their ministers, such as the ministries of justice, women's affairs and interior, in addition to the High Judicial Council and the Office of the Chief Islamic Justice.
For his part, the journalist Firas Tanina of the Maan News Agency called on women's organisations to reach groups in society that would help reduce the scale of killings, whether on grounds of honour or for any other reason. He stressed that women's organisations focusing on addressing the same sectors and groups no longer has much effect on improving behaviour within society.
On the methods needed to increase awareness of women's issues, the journalist at the Al-Quds Now network, Hassan Dandis, advised using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to collect the largest possible number of signatures in order to reduce the phenomenon of killing on grounds of honour, adding: "Unfortunately, killings, and particularly the killing of women, are marginalised issues, and clan intervention ends disputes over this kind of crime more than legal intervention by the authorities, particularly in Hebron governorate."
At the end of the meeting, all the speakers and participants recommended carrying out visits to decision-makers and senior officials in the government, foremost among them going to the office of the Palestinian prime minister in the West Bank, Dr. Rami Hamdallah, to support the coalition for reducing the phenomenon of killing on grounds of honour, as well as increasing dialogue with student groups at the universities and with bloggers through social media.
