The Palestinian Women's Development Studies Association has launched community awareness-raising meetings in the middle area of Gaza Strip to raise women awareness about protecting women from gender-based violence, as part of (strengthen the protection of vulnerable groups and the resilience of their communities in the middle area project.). The project is implemented in partnership with Action Aid Palestine and funded by the Forum Syd.
The project aims at promoting the steadfastness and protection of women and young women affected by long-term crises and disasters in the middle area of Gaza Strip, in line with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. It also intends to reduce marginalization and vulnerability, increase protection of women from the struggle based on social violence, strengthen local responsibility and leadership, influence women's protection, willingness and acknowledgement, and promote social and economic resilience of survivors from gender-based violence.
The project mainly targets eight geographical areas in the middle area of Gaza Strip (Gaza Valley, Juhr al-Dek, Al-Mighraqa, Al-Zawayda, west of Nuseirat, Msddar, Wadi al-Salqa, Abu al-Ajin).
The meetings aim to improve the knowledge framework of the target groups on main concepts related to women's rights and gender-based violence, enhance their skills when dealing with gender-based violence and its implications, improve the capabilities of community members (women, men, and community leaders) to limit, mitigate, and uncover cases and forms of gender-based violence in their areas, introduce them to the methods of protection available to women, who are victims of gender-based violence, and improve the community response to reporting any form of gender-based violence. The meetings also aim to select some participants for membership in the protection, preparedness and response committees that will be formed in the targeted areas.
The association will manage 24 meetings in the targeted geographical areas for 600 women, men and community leaders on issues of gender-based violence in the targeted areas and guide the available protection methods.