Ramallah – As part of the Oxfam-Novib-funded project “Towards institutionalizing UN Security Council Resolution I325 to achieve peace and security for Palestinian women” gender groups in Palestinian security services participated in a two-day workshop organized by MIFTAH. The workshop was an introduction to Resolution 1325 and its relation to the work of security services.
The workshop, which was conducted by attorneys Rawan Abu Farhat and Fadwa Dweib, had an apparent impact on the participants who appreciated the information on 1325 and the concept of its institutionalization. They also became aware of how this resolution is reflected on their work and their performance, especially since many are also trainers at their own workplaces.
Head of the gender unit in the Palestinian Police services Wafa’ Husseini said the workshop was very beneficial for everyone but especially for her. She said the workshop offered a good opportunity for both men and women working in the police services to benefit and learn from and illustrated how they could utilize the resolution in a way that serves the public, especially since the police is in daily contact with citizens.
Husseini, who said she has received similar training in Sweden and will soon travel to Jordan for the same purpose, maintained that such workshops will help to promote the process of gender integration and empowerment and to carry out projects to invest in the potentials of our young men and women in the police force.
Amneh Abu Ain, head of the gender unit in the preventive security forces, said the training left an important impact on her. She said it reaffirmed and deepened the knowledge she already had about Resolution 1325. Abu Ain was so affected she called for expanding this kind of training to the widest sector of society possible, including social worker unions, of which she is a member, and to women from displaced villages living in camps. “It is important that they know their rights.”
Wa’ad Ziyara works in the gender unit at the Palestinian Intelligence Services. She is a sociology and social services graduate but admits that before this workshop, she knew nothing about the UN resolution. The workshop has changed this completely. Ziyara now says she realizes that any resolution related to women , their rights and defense, will have a practical impact on her work.
While Ziyara says she always benefits from workshops she attends, MIFTAH’s workshop had added value because she learned that there are those who take advantage of women in exchange for this or that service. “But from now on, it will not be as easy for women to fall prey to this exploitation,” says Ziyara.
The workshop was catered to men as well. Diya’ Sabarneh from the Civil Defense services said he was very interested in getting more information on the subject, especially since he is also a trainer at his job.
“I didn’t know anything about this resolution,” Sabarneh admits, “even though I am a trainer and have participated in numerous workshops.” This is why he says the information they received was very necessary, hoping there will be more of the same in the future.
Preventive Security employee Haifa’ Abu Thaher said the training course will be reflected in her actual job on the ground, “especially since our society suffers from the occupation and oppression by the occupier.” She goes on to say that “change will not be confined to my work in the preventive security services, but also at home. This is what I realized through understanding 1325 and the changes it could make to some preconceptions about men and women and the relationship between them.”
Abu Thaher said she hoped future trainings would also include the heads of their institutions as well as individuals working in them, saying if the ‘head of the hierarchy” is targeted and influenced, this would have a positive impact on their subordinates.
Mohammed Jawabreh, gender coordinator in the police force in Hebron, who also trains in the gender unit and in the force, said: “Our duty is to protect women and to provide them with security and peace.” He went on to say that the training they received and the information they obtained about Resolution 1325 provides them with legal backing at their jobs. “We do our jobs and now know there is something that provides us with legal support; hence we carry out our duties without fear or hesitation.” Jawabreh is also a trainer and says MIFTAH’s workshop will definitely have a presence in future trainings he gives to his colleagues.
Attorney Fadwa Dweib, who is the executive director of the Beit Maqdis Company for law, studies and training and who carried out the training ,said the workshop was very advanced in terms of addressing such important subjects. One of these subjects was a general introduction to human rights and international humanitarian law, which she explained was a good way to address Security Council Resolution 1325 and understand the importance of its implementation in the Palestinian territories.
Dweib also said that while the targeted group was good, they were not decision-makers who are able to change policies. However, the group was very interactive with the discussions, she maintained, adding that a movie about the participation of women in peace-making after wars was shown to the group who discussed an analyzed the film afterwards.
MIFTAH releases 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social and security sectors, including social justice and gender indicators
Date posted: April 04, 2023
By MIFTAH
MIFTAH recently released 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social sector (health, education, higher education and scientific research, social development and labor), and for the first time, the security sector (Ministry of Interior and National Security). The reports were based on annual financial data released by the Ministry of Finance in Palestine for 2021-2022 and on an accrual basis.
The data showed that the Ministry of Interior and National Security had the highest percentage of actual spending in 2022, accounting for 22.8% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.68 billion. This was a slight increase from the Ministry’s share in 2021. Meanwhile, actual spending on the education sector (Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research) stood at 21.5% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.48 billion. This was also an increase from the education sector’s share in 2021, which was 20.6% of public expenditures.
Moreover, actual spending on the Ministry of Health also increased in 2022, comprising 15% of overall public expenditures, at a sum of ILS2.4 billion. This was higher than in 2021, where its share was 14.4%. As for the Ministry of Social Development, actual spending was still low, amounting for 6.2% of overall public expenditures in 2022, compared to 5.8% in 2021. The Ministry of Social Development’s actual spending in 2022 was approximately ILS1 billion. As for the labor sector, actual spending on this sector in 2022 was 0.31% of overall public expenditures, while in 2021 it was 0.28%. Actual spending on the labor sector in 2022 was ILS50.1 million.
Upon review of actual spending reports of the targeted ministries from a gender and social justice perspective, it is clear that actual spending on the Ministry of Social Development does not coincide with the scope of its responsibilities as the forerunner of the social sector in Palestine, including its programs for combatting poverty and the protection of poor and marginalized social sectors. Moreover, non-compliance to the disbursement of payments for poor families within the CTP continued according to estimates, whereby only two of four installments for 2022 were disbursed, one at minimum value. This adversely affected the financial security of the most underprivileged and marginalized sectors of society, in addition to the insufficient estimated budget and actual spending on the social protection program, in spite of its importance in providing protection and social services to battered women, children, special-needs persons and the elderly.
The data also pointed to the low percentage of women working in the security sector, which stood at 6% of the total number of workers in this sector, while they comprised 46% of the civil sector. This shows a gap in actual spending on the security sector from a gender perspective, given that the lion’s share of actual spending in 2022 was on salaries and wages. Hence, women only benefited very little from these allocations, which were nearly ILS2.9 billion in 2022.
The data also indicated that the development expenditures for the Ministry of Labor were only ILS4.5 million in 2022, even though planned development expenditures were ILS32 million, which is much higher. This casts a shadow on gender-related programs and projects, which were allotted sizeable budgets within development expenditures, such as creating sustainable opportunities as alternatives for Palestinian men and women working in settlements, for which ILS10 million were earmarked.
Even though there was an increase in actual spending in 2022 at the targeted ministries in general, this increase was mainly concentrated on salaries and wages. In spite of the importance of providing a decent life for employees, there is still a need to increase spending on development expenditures, since they are at the forefront of developing government services, including the nationalization and institutionalization of various social services.
MIFTAH concludes town hall meetings on political participation and citizens’ rights for women and youth
Date posted: January 09, 2023
By MIFTAH
Ramallah – 29/12/2022 – Within its efforts to promote democratic values and the peaceful transfer of power within the Palestinian government system, MIFTAH’s field advisory team completed over 100 town hall meetings in the second half of 2022. The meetings were held in coordination and cooperation with CSOs, LGUs and grassroots organizations and targeted women and youth in several West Bank and Gaza Strip districts. The objective of these meetings was to raise awareness among the electorate on the electoral system in Palestine and on civil society demands to increase women and youth participation in local and general elections as candidates and voters, on the premise that this boosts their presence in decision-making levels and involves them in public affairs.
The town hall meetings included several exchange visits between LGU members in the various districts. The women shared the experiences and challenges they faced after becoming council members. The meetings focused on the concept of citizenship within a broader definition of the various forms of political participation and the importance of involvement from youth and women in public life. They also pointed to the different forms of democracy and the main pillars of the democratic society Palestinians seek to create. The participants furthermore discussed the various forms of electoral systems and shed light on the gaps in electoral laws regarding the presence of women and youth.
The participants pointed to the importance of periodic legislative and presidential elections and the danger of the ongoing absence of the PLC on matters pertaining to civic peace. They also warned against the absence of oversight and accountability, maintaining that the defunct PLC has contributed to shrinking civic space and public freedoms and therefore, the ability or desire to become involved in political life, especially for women and youth. In most of the meetings, the participants also indicated that the absence of a regular democratic process in Palestine contributed to the overall exclusion of youth from participation and to the marginalization of the role of women in Palestinian political decision-making.
The town hall meetings stressed on the importance of pressing for legislative, presidential and local elections in all West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip districts. They also endorsed the demand for equality in electoral laws, starting with raising the women’s quota to a minimum of 30%, raising the candidacy age and lowering the threshold. They urged Palestinian factions to assume a key role in the process of inclusion for women and youth in the public sphere and to prevent the progression of tribalism in the democratic process. The attendees emphasized the importance of monitoring the performance of LGUs in their interaction with local communities and the consistency of their meetings. Finally, they said female council members must be given the opportunity to exercise their role in their respective councils as equals to their male counterparts.
MIFTAH holds town hall meetings on an annual basis as part of its awareness campaign on citizens’ rights and the promotion of the democratic approach for a peaceful transfer of power, in addition to the involvement of women and youth in elections as both candidates and voters. Each year, through these town hall meetings, MIFTAH aims to reach the widest possible segment of the electorate and the different social sectors in all parts of Palestine.
MIFTAH completes training workshop in the Gaza Strip on family protection and advocacy
Date posted: January 05, 2023
By MIFTAH
Gaza – 2/1/2023 – MIFTAH recently completed a training workshop on measures and regulations on family protection in the Gaza Strip. The workshop was part of MIFTAH’s strategic objectives to prioritize family issues in communities and to support local institutions in increasing awareness on citizenship and constitutional rights for Palestinian women and on combatting all forms of GBV and discrimination in Palestinian society.
The workshop’s objectives included providing institutions with important information on the legislations, laws and measures for family protection in effect in the Gaza Strip, in a bid to enhance the oversight role of CSOs in holding accountable official parties responsible for enforcing these measures and legislations. The training also included offering institutions the necessary mechanisms for managing digital and media campaigns to press for the ratification of laws and legislation that protect women’s rights.
The discussions focused on a number of points, including legal (including sharia law) rebuttals to claims from parties opposing legislation, including the Family Protection Law. They also discussed how applicable this law would be in the Gaza Strip once ratified by the President.
The participants unanimously agreed that they supported adoption of the law, giving no credence to the claims of more extreme elements in Gaza on the Family Protection Law. They called on MIFTAH to hold general, open meetings with the public to introduce them to the law and its importance, so that they could defend themselves from the extremist discourse surrounding it.
Opinions and impressions
One of the participants, Latifa Shatat, said such training workshops were crucial for every Palestinian, male and female. “It is great we are pressing for protection laws such as the Family Protection Bill. This law will have tremendous impact on society as a whole. I can say from experience as a social and mental health worker that protection is the most important element in our work, especially in cases involving women and children, who are the most vulnerable social sectors. I commend MIFTAH and anyone who participates in spreading a culture of nonviolence, protection, justice and equality.”
Meanwhile, Haifa Al Araj said the training offered important details about the Family Protection Law and also ways of conducting initiatives and activities that could produce positive results in mobilizing support it.
Another participant, Hatem Abu Ta’a, said the training was a new starting point for him as an institution director in terms of integrating the demand to implement the Family Protection Law in all advocacy and lobbying activities and programs. He said he became more aware of the impediments to the law’s implementation at the official and social level, saying, “This training reminds us to renew our calls to demand implementation and ratification of the law at the official level.”
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abu Rabee said ratification of the Family Protection Law would be a huge step, for women and children especially. “This law will amplify women’s voices and their ability to access help with stronger and more supportive centers throughout the homeland. As a strong supporter of this bill, I want to stress on the importance of civil society institutions explaining the clauses in the bill pertaining to CEDAW and to also focus on working with parties that oppose the law in particular.”
The training workshop is part of MIFTAH’s “Policy dialogue and Good Governance” Program, which aims at influencing public policies and legislation in favor of protection for citizens’ rights in Palestinian society, based on the principles of social justice and respect for human rights.
