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11/21 Kumi Now Online Gathering Week 47: Gender-Based Violence

Tuesday, November 21, 11:00 AM EDT

Israel's assault on Gaza continued for another week, leaving Al-Shifa Hospital a "death zone," according to the WHO. Please continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, using every avenue open to you and by participating in our urgent actions, below. Then join us for our Kumi Now Online Gathering on Tuesday, during which we will address how women are victims of the war in Gaza and Israel's occupation of Palestine.

 Action - Worldwide: Share Ceasefire Images 

We have created images, highlighting art by Banksy, that are perfect for sharing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), or wherever else you like to be social with your media. The first is shared below, but all can be found on our action page. You can also just share our own posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (X).

Next Online Gathering - November 21: Week 47 - Gender-Based Violence 

Full information on the gathering is here.

Our guest will be Budour Hassan of Amnesty International.

Remember, if you'd like to receive a reminder about the gathering an hour before it begins, please use the registration form at the bottom of the page.

November 25 is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Join us in speaking out against gender-based violence in all of its forms, both in Palestine and around the world, as we observe the day. You can learn more about the day here.

Women in the occupied Palestinian territory face persistent gender-based violence through night raids, settler violence, collective violence towards their families, humiliation and assault from occupation forces, and the restrictions of a patriarchal society. Please join us for our next Kumi Now Online Gathering as we address gender-based violence in Palestine, and check out this week's Kumi Now entry:

Week 47 of Kumi Now is now available on the website. Worldwide, the United Nations reports that 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime and concludes that, “Violence against women is as serious a cause of death and incapacity among women of reproductive age as cancer, and a greater cause of ill health than traffic accidents and malaria combined.” To be clear, gender-based violence is a serious problem facing every society and country.

Thus, it is no surprise that in the occupied Palestinian territory gender-based violence is further exacerbated by the realities of the occupation. Please read the essay on this topic along with the story of Shereen, a mother of four. And here are some facts for you:

Understanding Gender-Based Violence. Just the facts...  

  • Roughly 1,360 night raids are conducted on Palestinians each year.

  • Nearly four in ten women in the Gaza Strip face domestic violence, mostly by their partners.

  • 50 per cent of Palestinian women and 63 per cent of Palestinian men agreed that a woman should tolerate violence to keep the family together.

  • In Gaza, about 3,000 displaced pregnant women suffer lack of access to basic services.

  • 40,000+ pregnant women in Gaza are deprived of access to basic reproductive health services.

  • In Gaza, 61% of women and 86.3% of young women are unemployed. The female labor force participation rate is 16%.

  • In the West Bank and Jerusalem, 26% of women and 64.7% of young women are unemployed.

  • Women face escalating racial harassment, assaults, shootings and attempted kidnappings by extremist settlers.

  • Calls to a helpline in the oPt related to abuse and violence increased dramatically after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Some laws that PNA had enacted provide for limited gender equality. However, women cannot enjoy this equality because of continuing application of old local laws that maintain the domination of patriarchal traditions in the society.

  • The State of Palestine lacks a unified law to protect women against all forms of violence, including sexual abuse and harassment.

  • The state of Israel regularly utilizes the prevention of prisoner’s visits as a punitive measure against Palestinians.

  • “Honor killings” have been more common in the last decade, becoming one of the main causes of femicide in Palestine.

  • 93% of surveyed women have suffered or still suffer from verbal harassment.

  • Women are legally allowed to file for divorce, but divorced women are socially blamed for their broken relationships and are considered a burden on their families.

  • Married women in poor households are three times more likely to experience repeated physical violence than well-off women (29% versus 9%).

 Sources: “Facts and Figures” from UN Women

Learning More - In addition to these reports, you can learn more by watching this WILPF interview with Amal Abusnour, the director of programs for WCLAC, about “Palestinian Women under Prolonged Occupation”. You can then read the report, Palestine-UPR_web-2-5.pdf (wilpf.org)

To go deeper, we will be developing an extensive list of Additional Resources at the bottom of this week’s entry as well as a YouTube playlist on the subject. 

To register for the Online Gathering: Meeting Registration - Zoom

Background info: Week 47: Gender-Based Violence – KUMI NOW

See the full Kumi Now email for additional info, actions and resources Kumi Now - Week 47: Gender-Based Violence (sendibm1.com)

Earlier Event: November 21
11/21 The Politics of Water in Israel-Palestine: A Discussion with James Fergusson, Author of "In Search of the River Jordan" (Balfour Project)
Later Event: November 21
11/21 Repression in the Shadow of Israel's War on Gaza - Part 2: Israel's Rapid Repression & Criminalization of Palestinian Life in the Wake of October 7th (FMEP)