As part of the "Insijam" Initiative, which is implemented by The Palestinian Association for Empowerment and Local Development—REFORM within the “Naseej: Connecting Voices and Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls in the MENA Region” project, co-funded by Oxfam and the European Union, REFORM launched the “Knowledge is Protection” campaign. This campaign aims to combat gender-based violence in which women and girls live a safe life free from violence in all its forms.
This campaign was launched in accordance with REFORM’s work to produce fact sheets and effective policies that aimed to raise different societies’ awareness about women's needs and rights, the importance of achieving equality in all its forms and enhancing social cohesion based on combating gender-based violence and prevailing stereotypes about women's roles in society. This begins from curricula and ends with equality before the law.
The fact sheets that REFORM shared included an analysis of gender-based violence, its causes and repercussions. They also included recommendations and proposed solutions, such as the following:
1. Strengthening protection centres
2. Raising awareness of their role
3. Improving mental health services for women subjected to violence in the Palestinian Ministry of Health
4. Protecting the rights of Palestinian women in the informal economy in the Israeli settlements
5. Filing criminal cases in cases of domestic violence
6. Integrating gender education and respecting women’s representation in educational discourse
7. Ensuring adherence to the marriage age of 18-years-old and precisely identifying exceptional cases related to the judge's discretion.
The campaign included various activities such as a photo van that roamed Tubas Governorate under the slogan “Knowledge is Protection,” the drawing of 3 murals and publishing of an educational video that included messages taken from the fact sheets addressing the forms of violence against women. A large number of young women and men carried the campaign’s messages. The campaign also sought to improve the conditions of societies and women in particular in order to develop the beneficiaries’ skills of writing policy papers and monitoring reports. This aids them to implement advocacy campaigns and encourages gender equality.
The campaign also highlighted violence, its causes and mechanisms, in order to reduce it in society through social change where young men and women are the most important factors in achieving this goal. Furthermore, the campaign pressured for a more effective protection system for women subjected to violence, whose legal basis is the Family Protection Law.
Mrs. Esraa Obeid, a Project Coordinator at REFORM, indicated that the main goal of the national campaign was to combat violence against women and to raise awareness about women's issues and gender-based violence. It lasted for two months and included several activities that were based on a number of policy papers, which were prepared during the Initiative’s implementation period. It also focused on the northern Jordan Valley in the Tubas Governorate, especially since it has been witnessing a rise in cases of gender-based violence. The Governorate has also been added to REFORM’s targeted areas in order to empower youth and women and raise their awareness about their ability to change and advocate for women's issues in various areas.
REFORM, through the "Insijam" Initiative, sought to contribute to confronting gender-based violence through local and national efforts by changing social concepts that perpetuate and enhance the culture of gender-based violence. It also focused on engaging young women and men and strengthening their abilities to influence public policies and decision-makers through lobbying and advocacy efforts and promoting more equitable societal values for women. The Initiative targeted young women and men in marginalised communities in the Governorates of Qalqilya, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jenin, Bethlehem and Ramallah, as well as decision-makers in the Palestinian government and gender activists.
This campaign comes as part of "Insijam" Initiative, implemented by The Palestinian Association for Empowerment and Local Development—REFORM within the “Naseej: Connecting Voices and Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls in the MENA Region” project, co-funded by Oxfam and the European Union. This Initiative aims to combat sexual and gender-based violence to ensure that women and girls live a safe life free from violence.
