On the 8th of March every year, the world celebrates the Women’s Day, which comes as an important reminder of women’s role in making real and positive change in the human society over the ages.
The 8th of March celebrates women’s political and social achievements and contributions. This is the day to honor the feminist work efforts and appreciate their gains throughout consecutive years of active participation and continued struggle.
Moreover, it gives women a renewed opportunity to speak out for their political, economic, and social and human rights. Furthermore, this day comes to concentrate on the problems and difficulties women still face and to solve them in order to improve their life.
The 8th of March has come while Palestinian women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip so far live under poor conditions on many levels.
For example, during their repeated offensives, the Israeli forces directly targeted women. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) documented that the Israeli forces killed 8 women in 2016. In addition, the Israeli forces deliberately arrested women as 64 women are so far arrested in the Israeli prisons.
On the other hand, women in the Gaza Strip still suffer from inhuman conditions resulting from the Israeli closure imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than 10 years.
Thousands of Palestinian women were deprived of their right to freedom of movement as hundreds of them were denied their right to medical treatment by preventing them from traveling due to the closure of crossings. Moreover, the Palestinian woman has suffered from the consequences of the split and resulted deterioration of living and humanitarian conditions.
On the Palestinian internal level, women’s suffering continues due to the ongoing state of gender-based discrimination and increased as well due to the poverty high rates and domestic violence. PCHR documented the killing of 6 women in security chaos incidents; two of whom were killed on grounds of the so-called “family honor”.
On the International Women’s Day, PCHR reiterates its absolute support for Palestinian women and
1. Calls for the importance of providing protection for civilians, including women, and force the Israeli authorities to respect human rights;
2. Demands to lift up the comprehensive closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and end all its manifestations and forms to enable its residents, including women, to enjoy their rights to live in dignity;
3. Calls upon the Palestinian government to fulfill their international obligations following Palestine’s accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
4. Calls upon the Palestinian Authority and National Unity Government to take necessary measures to put an end to the domestic violence and prosecute those perpetrating crimes against women and hold them accountable.
