RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza- NuJINHA spoke to Zeinab Al Ghounimi, director of the Centre for Women’s Legal Research and Consulting and Protection (CWLRCP) in the Gaza Strip, about the International Women’s Day. Zeinab Al Ghounimi began her speech by talking about the history of International Women’s Day. “On March 8, 1857, 40 thousand garment workers of a factory staged a strike demanding better working conditions in New York City, USA. 129 women died in a fire started in the factory because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked. The same thing happened in Palestine. A group of women workers in a matchsticks factory in the city of Hebron staged a strike demanding better working conditions. However, they were burned alive in the factory as a result of an electric short circuit. The poor working conditions killed them. In Palestine, women still suffer from poor working conditions and they earn less than men for the same work.”

‘Women face many difficulties due to the occupation’

Underlining that Palestinian women look for a way to start micro-enterprises to cover the expenses of female university students, Zeinab Al Ghounimi said, “Their micro-enterprises are funded by international organizations. However, women receive less funds now due to natural disasters all around the world, the Russian-Ukraine war, crises in Arab countries and the recent earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria.”

‘The situation of women does not change’

Speaking about the situation of women in Palestine throughout the year, Zeinab Al Ghounimi said, “The situation of women in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip has not changed due to the Israeli siege. The women suffer from the travel ban from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank. For instance, cancer patients in the Gaza Strip have to take permission in order to receive medical treatment at hospitals in the West Bank.”

‘Violence against women increases’

Zeinab Al Ghounimi told us that the rate of violence against women, especially physical and sexual violence, has been increasing despite the efforts and awareness-raising campaigns of women’s organizations. “Women need a law protecting women in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. A new form of violence against women’s rights defenders has recently emerged. The women defending women’s rights have received threats. Women are also subjected to online violence.”

‘Women have achieved important gains’

 Noting that Palestinian women have achieved important gains despite all the obstacles, Zeinab Al Ghounimi said, “One of these gains is the amendment in Palestinian Family Protection Law, which determines 18 as minimum age for marriage. The law has been implemented in the West Bank. Women organizations should launch more awareness-raising campaigns so that families can report the perpetrators of violence against women.”