The SAWA program in Palestine
Our actions
In Palestine, there are two things that make the protection of women and children particularly alarming.
1) The patriarchal system has a strong presence in Palestine, marked by the concentration of men’s power in the public and private sphere.
2) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted for more than 60 years, has devastating effects on the socio-economic situation of the inhabitants
These both mean that the women and the children are particularly vulnerable and their fundamental rights are constantly being questioned. It is therefore necessary to fight against gender-based violence and, with a multi-dimensional approach, change the norms and the behaviors in a lasting manner.
To give some examples:
Women’s participation in the working life in Palestine is still very uneven, with a participation rate of 21% against 72% for men in 2019. In the same year, in politics, women represented only 11,3% of the seats in the national parliament and 21,2% in local governments.
Moreover, the UNICEF reports that 89% of children were victims of psychological violence and 74% victims of physical violence in school and in their family.
The program
The SAWA organization has been activated in Palestine since 1968 in support of the rights and the protection of women in Palestine. Through this program, SAWA and Surgir work together in order to propose gender-based violence prevention workshops in the schools from the West Bank, in 3 communities: Bir Zeit, Dayr Abu Mash’al and Beit Hanina.
Our activities
1) Programs to raise awareness of children aged between 10 and 18 years old, parents and professors about the different forms of violence and their consequences.
2) Dissemination of information to allow better access for victims of violence to the emergency and care services available.
3) Advocacy for the implementation of violence prevention measures in the schools of the West Bank.
La situation en 2020
1.200 students, including 800 girls, were made aware of the different types of violence and know whom to turn to and what services to contact in such situations.
45 professors were able to attend workshops and be trained on the detection of such violence at school, 60 parents have become conscious of violence in the family and are aware of the protection services available.
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