ActionAid Palestine to Conclude Activities of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence
ActionAid Palestine (AAP) concluded activities of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) against women and girls in different areas of West Bank and Gaza strip. This campaign was opened with psychological support and educational sessions and theater performances for women in marginalized areas in Hebron Governorate. Those session targeted more than 140 women in the villages of Sika, A’bdah, Imreish, Tal Rumida and Al-Samou’. AAP’s partners in Gaza Strip implemented different media and community activities that demanded to end GBV and legislate family protection bill. They also called to essentially raise awareness on cases of GBV.
The campaign included activities implemented by youth groups of Global Platform-Palestine of AAP. Those groups organized painting of murals that call to essentially show capacities and creativity of women in building and improving the community. A silent assembly was organized where young people carried banners and posters demanding to put an end to GBV and break silence towards this issue. In addition, members of youth group utilized the occasion of lightening the Christmas tree in Ramallah city to distribute a questionnaire to the ones celebrating this occasion to seek views of community groups towards GBV and tools of protection and reporting they used in GBV cases. An exhibition was organized in Bethlehem University where it contained paintings that highlight the importance of empowering women and promoting their role. Young people had been engaged in constructive dialogues for discussing this community issue and suggesting the most important means that could be adopted for addressing it.
Youth have been engaged in those activities due to their pivotal role in creating change and influencing positive changes regarding this issue. Raising awareness of youth is one of the long-term solutions that are used for solving this community issue. Those activities contributed to increasing their knowledge in these issues and using the best means for supporting women to overcome all forms of violence and most importantly violence committed against women.
Rebecca Sayej highlighted her participation in those activities saying: “it is important to engage youth people in tackling GBV so that their voice could be raised demanding to enhance laws protecting women . These activities strengthened my role in reaching my young colleagues to encourage them to participate in collective work that could combat this problem”.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, the international day for Human Rights Day.
Background Information
ActionAid in Palestine (AAP) is a part of global federation working for social justice and gender equality and eradicate poverty in more than 45 countries around the world. AAP started its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian People as ActionAid believes that they should enjoy their rights to freedom, justice and self-determination. AAP implements a number of programs through its engagement with communities and women and youth groups seeking to empower them and enhance their influential civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective activism to address the protracted rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation of Palestine. AAP works simultaneously to enhance their leadership capacity and knowledge to practice their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers to account.
For more information, please contact
Riham Jafari
Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication in Palestine
Mobile:
+972 (0) 595242890
Office:
+972 (0) (2) 22 13 137
Email: