Ref: 41/2023

Date: 27 July 2023

On Thursday, 27 July 2023, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) concluded a training course on “Basic Concepts of Human Rights” with the participation of 25 sociologists, psychologists, and volunteers from civil society organizations (CSOs) working in human rights, and sociopsychological services in the Gaza Strip. The 20-hour course was held from 24-27 July 2023 in Gaza City.

The training course was held under the project “Promoting and Protecting the Human Rights of Women, Men, Girls and Boys, including Persons with Disabilities, and Victims/Survivors of Human Rights Violations in the Gaza Strip”, implemented by PCHR in partnership with Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) and funded by the European Union.

The training aimed to strengthen the capacities of the female and male employees working in the field of mental health and care at the community organizations on the concepts of human rights and the International Bill of Human rights in general, and the concept of right to health and the right to the highest attainable standard of health in particular. The training also aimed to improve participants’ skills in monitoring, documenting, and reporting human rights violations to be followed up and to provide care necessary for victims of human rights violations.

The training program included several topics: basic concepts of human rights; introduction to concepts of the right to health under international human rights and international humanitarian law; States’ duties and obligations to realize the right to health; the basic concepts of gender-based violence “GBV” and intervention and protection mechanisms; human rights monitoring and documenting mechanisms, and international human rights protection mechanisms, especially the right to health.

At the end of the course, PCHR held a closing ceremony where Mr. Abdul Halim Abu Samra, Head of PCHR’s Training Unit, underscoredthat the training comes as part of PCHR’s cooperation and coordination with community organizations in order to raise the awareness of psychological service providers on human rights and introduce them to international human rights conventions, especially the right to health, for their essential role in providing care, protection and psychological support. Abu Samra added that in light of the current circumstances and situation in the Palestinian society, particularly the Israeli-imposed closure on the Gaza Strip for 17 years and the recurrent attacks, the health and psychological conditions, especially among children and women, have deteriorated, so effortsshould beintensified to alleviate victims’ sufferings.

For their part, the female and male participants emphasized that the course introduced them to new and rich topics that have contributed to raising their awareness on human rights, which would have a positive impact on their work and improve their role in providing services to citizens. They also called for holding more courses like this and other advanced courses for health and psychosocial support service providers.

At the end of the course, all participants received certificates.