Ref: 13/2010
The 8th of March marks the International Women’s Day, which
was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1977 to support women’s struggle for
their rights that are ensured according to international standards. This day have become a symbol for women’s
struggle for their rights and against discrimination.
In spite of all UN efforts to support women’s rights and status, including
the adoption of many relevant resolutions and conventions, particularly the
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), the reality shows that women’s suffering is continuous and that their
conditions are getting worse due to restrictions imposed on them, as well as
continued violations of their rights.
Palestinian women in particular continue to face extremely difficult
circumstances due to human rights violations perpetrated against them. Violations of women’s rights peaked during
the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which took the lives of 111
women. According to the documentation of the Palestinian centre for Human
Rights (PCHR), the suffering of Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip has notably
increased during the past few months due to the continued tightened siege
imposed on the Gaza Strip, as well as the impacts of the Israeli offensive,
which are still outstanding due the lack of reconstruction opportunities.
The continued siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths
of dozens of Palestinians, including 17 women as documented by PCHR, because
they were denied access to medical treatment abroad or due to unavailability of
appropriate medical treatment in Gaza hospitals. In addition, the siege has resulted in
negative consequences that have negatively impacted women’s rights and worsened
their living conditions. Under the
siege, women have been vulnerable to be denied access to drinking water and to
power supplies.
Although more than one year has passed since the Israeli offensive that
resulted in the destruction of 2,114 houses, in which to 3,314 families
counting 19,592 individuals, the owners of these destroyed houses, including
hundreds of women, are still houseless. In addition to the severe living conditions of the homeless civilians,
homeless women continue to suffer from the absence of reconstruction
opportunities because of the continued siege and the restrictions imposed by
the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on the flow of construction materials into
the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Palestinian
women continue to suffer because of the continued denial of access to justice
in relation to attempts made to ensure the prosecution of suspected criminals
who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, killing their husbands or
sons or leaving them with permanent disabilities.
In the West Bank, Palestinian women continue to suffer due to human
rights violations perpetrated by IOF, including raiding and searching their
houses, arresting them and their husbands and sons before their eyes,
restrictions imposed on their movement, and harassing them while passing via
checkpoints established by IOF at the entrances of villages and cities in the
West Bank.
In addition to violations committed against Palestinian civilians,
including women, the suffering of Palestinian women has continued because of
the internal fragmentation, security chaos and misuse of weapons and murders
motivated by the so-called family honor. These violations continue to be committed against women although many
efforts have been made to eliminate them.
In light of Palestinian women’s continuous suffering resulting from
IOF’s policies and practices, on the 8th of March, PCHR reiterates
its call for the international community to fulfill their legal and moral
obligations. PCHR hopes that all efforts
will be unified this year in order to end the long suffering of Palestinian
women.
PCHR particularly calls upon:
1) The international community to put an end to the continued
siege imposed on the Gaza Strip in order to end the suffering of Palestinian
civilians, and ensure the reconstruction of property destroyed by IOF in a way
that can ensure women’s enjoyment of their right to an adequate standard of living.
2) The international community to compel Israel to respect
international human rights instruments and stop violations of Palestinian human
rights, which are part of overt and covert polices.
3) The two parties of the conflict to put an end to the ongoing
fragmentation, and upon the Palestinian National Authority to take necessary
measures to ensure the non-recurrence of murders motivated by the so-called
family honor.
