International Campaign: Stop Violence against Women Israel/OT: Women and Conflict Canada: Stolen Sisters UK/Kenya: Serious allegations of rape of Kenyan women by UK army

Public meeting

Ensure Women a Life

Take part in the world wide Amnesty International campaign
"Stop Violence against Women"

• Time: Tuesday, 18 October 2005 at 7.30 p.m.
• Place: 1831 Fern Street (off Begbie or Ford)

Professor emeritus Jim Hackler, who is studying on femicide and family violence,
stirs the mind with: "The Grand Cure for Crime, Sin, and all other Nasties" *

Group 27 presents cases of threatened women
from the North Andes, from Europe and from the Middle East.

Everybody is invited to think, to discuss, to write.

* Disclaimer
Public meeting presentations by guest speakers might not necessarily represent Amnesty International

A pregnant woman waits for an ambulance to collect her at the Jubara checkpoint near Tulkarem, West Bank, 2004
© MachsomWatch

Women carry the burden in the Occupied Territories

I crawled behind a concrete block by the checkpoint to have some privacy and gave birth there, in the dust, like an animal. I held the baby... she moved a little but after a few minutes she died in my arms.

Severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories have had tragic consequences for women and girls. In August 2003, Rula Ashtiya (quoted above) was forced to give birth on a dirt road by the Beit Furik checkpoint, in the West Bank, after Israeli soldiers refused her passage from her village to the nearby town of Nablus.

In December 2004, Bayan Hussein-Ali gave birth in an ambulance at a checkpoint near Nablus after being delayed by Israeli soldiers in the middle of the night. The ambulance was not allowed to pass through the checkpoint so a second ambulance was called to collect her from the other side of the checkpoint. Known as the "back-to-back" method, this is how merchandise - and often patients - are transported through Israeli army checkpoints.

Such experiences demonstrate the vulnerability of women to a system of control that discriminates against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Subject to an increasingly sophisticated system of blockades and checkpoints, 3.5 million Palestinian women, men and children are prevented from moving between towns and villages, and are often confined to their homes. As a result, they are denied access to work, education and adequate health care.

Women at Beit Iba checkpoint near Nablus, December 2004.
© Eyal Ofer

Under siege and under strain, the potential for increased family violence, including sexual abuse, is heightened. Unprecedented levels of poverty and unemployment caused by the restrictions imposed by the Israeli army and the increased militarization of the conflict have aggravated existing problems of gender inequality in Palestinian society.

Women have borne the brunt of the anger and frustration of male relatives who feel humiliated because they cannot fulfill their expected role as providers.

The greater the external threat, the less opportunity women have to confront internal issues within Palestinian society, especially those considered as private matters concerning family "honour". Those who do seek help are thwarted by ineffectual laws that discriminate against women and give little or no protection to victims of family violence. Restrictions on movement further exacerbate matters.

In September 2004, Maha, a young woman from northern Gaza, was forced to drink poison by her father when he discovered that she was pregnant. Efforts by women's rights activists, hospital staff and local officials were hampered because the Israeli army had just launched a major operation and had completely sealed the area. Maha died.

For women and girls who are at risk of being killed by their families, leaving their immediate surroundings, even for a short period, is often the only effective solution. However, as one non-governmental organization (NGO) worker told AI: In the past few years getting to the victims and getting the victims out of the danger area has been very difficult and at times totally impossible. These military blockades, curfews and checkpoints have caused the death of some women who could have easily been saved.

Women are paying a high price in the ongoing conflict. Among the thousands of deaths, hundreds of women have been killed by Palestinian armed groups and by Israeli forces.

However, the endless cycle of killings is not the only human rights scandal. The increased militarization of the conflict and Israel's policies in the Occupied Territories have had grave consequences for Palestinian women. Their homes have been demolished and their movements have been severely restricted, limiting their access to medical services, education and employment. Poverty and unemployment have aggravated existing problems of gender inequality in Palestinian society. Violence in the family has increased but discriminatory laws and practices provide no protection for women.

All government authorities have a duty to protect the rights of women. Amnesty International calls on both sides to recognize their respective responsibilities to end the suffering of Palestinian women.

We call on the Israeli government to Investigate all allegations of violence and human rights violations against women and bring to justice those responsible. End the regime of blockades and restrictions of movement imposed on Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Ensure that pregnant women and others in need of medical care are allowed access to medical facilities. Stop the destruction of Palestinian homes and properties.

We call on the Palestinian Authority to Repeal or amend laws which discriminate against women. Investigate violence against women in the family, including "honour crimes", and treat them as serious criminal offences. Commit to taking measures to eradicate violence against women, and ensure that all women who have been subjected to violence have access to redress and reparation, including compensation. Fund and support measures to protect women's rights, including the establishment of shelters or other services for women survivors of violence.