Ramallah – 17/10/2020 – MIFTAH held a zoom session on October 15 in which it presented the results of a mapping study of institutions working with women and girls subjected to gender-based violence in Tulkarm, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya districts. The meeting addressed the study results and the necessary interventions from official, civil and international parties for providing psychological, social, health, legal and economic services to victims of gender-based violence. It also measured the nature and availability of services and their accessibility to women in order to identify the gaps and obstacles hindering women’s and girls’ access to protection services and other supporting services, in addition to scrutinizing the funding gaps in these institutions.
The mapping results showed that services provided by institutions catering to battered women and girls are directly related to the needs of women and girls in each of these districts, but do not cover all of their complementary needs such as health, social and economic needs. Discrepancies between the institutions were also apparent in their focal points regarding integrative intervention to ensure women’s access to services and protection. What’s more, the study pointed to the weak abilities of government institutions due to the political situation and military occupation, to the meagre financial resources for following up on GBV cases and in taking the necessary measures to protect women, especially in Area C.
The mapping also indicated that women’s options regarding institutions for protection are made according to factors such as safety, trust and alternative venues in the absence of any guarantee for legal protection. This often results in women remaining silent about the violence and allowing customs (familial and tribal) to play a role in filling the gap resulted from the lack of institutions or the weak financial capabilities of others. This impacts the response to the scope of cases of GBV against women and girls and the repercussions of the various types of violence against women and their families. Moreover, the economic factor, according to the services provided by these institutions, has the most impact on women’s ability to combat violence against them.
Interventions
All of interventions and discussions in the session confirmed the importance of awareness in the targeted districts that these services are rights; they also called for integrating men in the awareness process through trainings and interventions that take into consideration women’s conditions and their needs and which promote their access to these services. They called for starting a dialogue with the Ministry of Social Development to pressure the Ministry of Finance to increase the budget for social development, especially regarding the protection and integration program. This would contribute to increasing the interactive capabilities of the Ministry’s directorates in following up on battered women’s issues, with the cooperation and coordination with like-minded institutions in providing protection services for women and girls in a cycle of violence. They urged international institutions to also support such programs and for UN agencies to direct support to institutions that provide protection services in the four marginalized districts, which have received the lesser share of services, resources and support.
Some of the interventions pointed to a qualitative and quantitative shortage in services in areas in the northern West Bank in terms of women’s accessibility to them and the fact that women victims of violence do not have knowledge of these services. This is because all of the services are concentrated in cities and not in these remote and marginalized areas. Institutions must offer qualitative services to women in grassroots service-provider institutions, to give them information about the referral system. This calls for integrated action and unified efforts between institutions through a unified intervention strategy in all the districts in order to close the gap in this regard.
The participants also called for a periodic update of studies on services and for awareness to be the focal point of the next stage, especially in remove and marginalized areas where services are not available.
Recommendations
The study concluded that the state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the weakness of national systems, especially in combatting violence and also the gap between the capacities of institutions and the scope of needs for women and girls subjected to GBV.
The mapping produced specific recommendations for all sectors working in the fields of health, social, economic and legal services in government, non-governmental and international institutions operating in these districts, including: continued efforts, joint action between institutions to reform the legal system for women’s protection against violence such as ratification of the Family Protection Law; enacting the national referral system to refer women to health, social and legal services and also to review the extent of its efficacy in the four districts; increasing the budgets and expenditures of protection and economic programs that target battered women in the four districts; ensuring fair distribution of financial resources; raising the potentials and quality of services provided to women in these districts; providing continuous training to those working in these districts along with an impact-assessment of this training on the services provided; evaluation of the extent to which battered women benefit from the services, programs, interventions and strategies, including those at the international, government and NGO level; and the need for cross-sectional work between institutions to respond to women’s needs.
This session is in the scope of MIFTAH’s interest in impacting public policies and legislation within its strategic approaches towards achieving protection, justice and equity in Palestinian society and promoting the principles of good governance through its project “Working Together as Agents for Change: Towards the Protection and Promotion of Women’s Human Rights.” MIFTAH implements this project in partnership with the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC) and with funding from the EU, aimed at shedding light on the status of women, especially in marginalized districts subjected to ongoing Israeli occupation violations.
'مفتاح' تستعرض نتائج مسح المؤسسات العاملة مع النساء والفتيات المتعرّضات للعنف المبني على النوع الاجتماعي في محافظات: طولكرم، جنين، طوباس، وقلقيلية
تاريخ النشر: 19/10/2020
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله - 17/10/2020 - عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" يوم الخميس الماضي الموافق 15/10/2020 جلسة خاصة عبر تطبيق زووم، تم خلالها استعراض نتائج مسح المؤسسات العاملة مع النساء والفتيات المتعرّضات للعنف المبني على النوع الاجتماعي في محافظات طولكرم، جنين، قلقيلية، وطوباس، حيث نوقشت فيها مخرجات المسح، ومجالات التدخل اللازمة والمطلوبة من الجهات الرسمية والأهلية والدولية، ذات العلاقة بتقديم خدمات نفسية واجتماعية وصحية وقانونية واقتصادية للنساء ضحايا العنف المبني على النوع الاجتماعي، وقياس طبيعة وتوفر الخدمات ومدى صول النساء إليها، بهدف تحديد الفجوات والعقبات التي تعيق وصول النساء والفتيات إلى خدمات الحماية المختلفة وخدمات مساندة تمكنها من التمتع بحقوق المواطنة في المجتمع، بالإضافة إلى رصد الفجوات التمويلية للمؤسسات العاملة في هذه المحافظات ومنها المؤسسات الرسمية.
وأشارت نتائج المسح إلى أن خدمات المؤسسات المقدمة للنساء والفتيات اللواتي يتعرضن للعنف في تلك المحافظات ذات علاقة مباشرة باحتياجات النساء والفتيات هناك، ولكنها لا تغطي كافة الاحتياجات ذات الصلة بالأبعاد المتكاملة (الصحية والاجتماعية والاقتصادية للنساء المعنّفات)، وتفاوت واقع تلك المؤسسات في تركيز نطاق اهتمامها على التدخل المتكامل لتوصيل النساء للخدمة، وكذلك توصيلهن للحماية. كما أشار المسح الى ضعف قدرة المؤسسات الحكومية، وبسبب الواقع السياسي والاحتلال العسكري، وضعف الموارد المالية من متابعة قضايا النساء المعنفات، واتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة لحماية النساء وبخاصة في المناطق المسماة (ج).
وأشارت النتائج أيضاً، إلى أنّ خيارات النساء في اللجوء إلى المؤسسات، واللجوء للحماية، يتم تبعاً لعوامل لها علاقة بالشعور بالأمان والثقة والبدائل في حالات التوجه، في غياب ضمانات لحماية النساء على المستوى القانوني، مما يكبّدهنّ أعباء الصمت وعدم البوْح عن العنف الذي يواجهنه، ما يجعل العادات العرفية (العائلية والعشائرية) المتّبعة تلعب دوراً لتغطية الفراغ الناتج عن عدم توفر العدد الكافي من المؤسسات أو ضعف القدرة المالية للبعض من المؤسسات، والتي تؤثر على الاستجابة لحجم قضايا العنف ضد النساء والفتيات، وتبعات العنف المختلفة على النساء وأسرهن. في حين شكّل العامل الاقتصادي وفق واقع الخدمات المقدمة من المؤسسات ذات العلاقة الأكثر تأثيراً في قدرة النساء على مواجهة العنف والتصدي له.
مداخلات
وتخلل الجلسة نقاشات ومداخلات أكدت في مجملها على أهمية التوعية في المحافظات المستهدفة بالخدمات المقدمة باعتبارها حقوقاً، فيما دعت إلى إدماج الرجال في عملية التوعية من خلال التدريبات والتدخلات التي تراعي أوضاع النساء واحتياجاتهن وتعزيز وصولهنّ لتلك الخدمات، وفتح باب الحوار بخصوصها مع وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية من خلال الضغط على وزارة المالية بهدف زيادة الموازنة المخصصة للتنمية الاجتماعية وبخاصة لبرامج الحماية والإدماج، وبما يساهم في زيادة القدرة التفاعلية لدى مديريات وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية في متابعة قضايا النساء المعنّفات والتعاون والتنسيق مع المؤسسات ذات العلاقة في توفير خدمات الحماية للنساء والفتيات واللواتي هنّ ضمن دوائر العنف، وحث المؤسسات الدولية أيضاً على دعم مثل هذه البرامج، أو أن تقوم هذه المؤسسات الدولية والمنظمات الأممية بتوجيه الدعم للمؤسسات العاملة والمقدمة لخدمات الحماية في المحافظات الأربع، والتي تعاني بمجملها تهميشاً، وتُصنّف من المناطق الأقلّ حظاً من حيث الخدمات وتوزيع الموارد والدعم.
وأشارت بعض المداخلات إلى النقص الكمي والنوعي في الخدمات بمناطق شمال الضفة الغربية، وعدم تمكن النساء من الوصول إليها، وعدم معرفة النساء ضحايا العنف هناك بها، حيث أن كل الخدمات تتركز في المدن وليس في المناطق البعيدة والمهمشة، وأن هنالك حاجة إلى أن تقوم المؤسسات الفاعلة في تقديم خدمات توعية النساء العاملات في المؤسسات القاعدية مقدمة الخدمة، بمعلومات عن نظام التحويل ما يستدعي العمل بشكل تكاملي وتوحيد الجهود بين المؤسسات العاملة من خلال استراتيجية تدخل موحدة في كل المحافظات لسد الفجوة في هذا المجال.
كما دعت المداخلات إلى القيام بصورة دورية بتحديث الدراسات المتقدمة بموضوعة الخدمات، وأن تكون التوعية عنوان المرحلة القادمة، خاصة في المناطق البعيدة والمهمشة التي لا تصلها الخدمات.
التوصيات
وخلص المسح، إلى أن حالة الطوارئ المترافقة مع أزمة جائحة كورونا_كوفيد 19، بيّنت ضعف الأنظمة الوطنية الخاصة بالتصدي للعنف ومواجهته، وإلى الفجوة ما بين القدرة الاستيعابية للمؤسسات وحجم الاحتياج بالنسبة للنساء والفتيات ضمن دائرة العنف.
و خرج المسح بتوصيات محددة لكافة القطاعات التي تعمل في مجال الخدمات الصحية والاجتماعية والاقتصادية والقانونية للمؤسسات الحكومية وغير الحكومية والدولية العاملة في تلك المحافظات، من أبرزها: استمرار الجهود، والعمل المشترك بين المؤسسات لإصلاح النظام القانوني الخاص بحماية النساء من العنف، مثال إقرار قانون حماية الأسرة من العنف،. وتفعيل وإنفاذ النظام الوطني لتحويل النساء للخدمات الصحية والاجتماعية والقانونية ومراجعة مدى فاعليته في المحافظات الأربع، بالإضافة إلى زيادة حجم الموازنات والإنفاق على برامج الحماية والبرامج الاقتصادية التي تستهدف النساء اللواتي يتعرضن للعنف في المحافظات الأربع، واعتماد التوزيع العادل للموارد المالية. ورفع القدرات وكفاءة الخدمات المقدمة للنساء في تلك المحافظات، ورفد العاملات والعاملين هناك بالتدريب المستمر والتقييم لأثر التدريب وانعكاسه على واقع الخدمات المقدمة للنساء، وتقييم مستويات انتفاع النساء اللواتي تعرّضن للعنف من الخدمات والبرامج والتدخلات والاستراتيجيات سواء المُقرّة والمنفّذة على مستوى المؤسسات الدولية والحكومية والأهلية، وأن تعمل المؤسسات فيما بينها وعلى نحو قطاعي للاستجابة لحاجات النساء.
تأتي هذه الجلسة انطلاقاً من اهتمام مؤسسة "مفتاح" بالتأثیر في السیاسات العامة والتشريعات ضمن توجهاتها الاستراتيجية بما يحقق الحماية والعدالة والإنصاف في المجتمع الفلسطيني، وبما يعزّز من مبادىء الحكم الصالح، ومن خلال مشروع " معاً من أجل حماية وتعزيز حقوق المرأة" الذي تنفذه مؤسسة "مفتاح" بالشراكة مع مركز المرأة للإرشاد القانوني والاجتماعي وبدعم من الاتحاد الأوروبي، بهدف تسليط الضوء على واقع النساء في هذه المحافظات وخاصة ضمن المناطق المهمشة والمتعرضة بشكل مستمر للانتهاكات الاحتلال الاسرائيلي.
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.
