Announcing the launch of International Women´s Day activities in Palestine

Announcing the launch of International Women´s Day activities in Palestine

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the General Union of Palestinian Women and the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, in partnership with women’s institutions and centers, announced today, Sunday, the launch of International Women´s Day activities in Palestine.

Participants in a press conference in Ramallah today, Sunday, entitled "Together we make our future", on the occasion of International Women´s Day, which falls on March 8th, called for supporting the participation of women in the upcoming legislative elections, and raising their representation in the lists to 30%.

Minister of Women´s Affairs, Amal Hamad, said: The March 8 event comes this year in Palestine and we are on the threshold of holding legislative, presidential and national elections, where all eyes are on Palestinian women, as an influential and decisive factor in political participation and determination of results, with the presence of more than 49% of females. In Palestinian society, the demand of political parties to form their lists with a feminist participation of at least 30%, and to choose their candidates on the basis of merit and competence.

She urged young people to participate in the electoral process, expressing her hope that the next Legislative Council would pass laws that address all problems facing the reality of women.

Hamad called on local and international partners to join efforts and make optimal use to make an impact in achieving gender equality, noting that Palestinian women still live with extraordinary challenges of suffering and injustice from the Israeli occupation, detention and deprivation of their rights, and they persistently continue their commitment to participating in reaching pioneering and leadership positions. In society, despite the challenges that take a variety of forms of violations.

She explained that the ministry contributed through its strategy to promote justice and gender equality in various fields, and worked on issuing many decisions and drawing policies that contribute to improving the status of women and their position in Palestine, noting that it continues to work in various fields to change the reality in which we live, specifically on Level of political participation and economic empowerment.

Hamad stressed that the ministry has worked to raise the voice of women in international and international forums, and by highlighting the occupation’s violations of the right of women in Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and the Jordan Valley areas that are vulnerable to demolition and destruction, and the restrictions it imposes on women in the electoral process in Jerusalem, adding, “We will work to provide all The documents required to support the International Criminal Court to ensure the trial of Israel, which continues to ignore international conventions. "

She talked about the ministry´s commitment to partnering with the components of the Palestinian women´s movement, to reach the goals approved in the women´s rights document, work to enhance their role in the democratic process in the upcoming elections, and to enhance the daily struggle in facing the occupation and active participation in popular resistance by women.

Hamad affirmed that the Ministry will continue its work to approve a set of laws and legislations that would guarantee the values ​​of justice and equality, be fair and create a better situation for women, and practical commitment to international agreements signed by the State of Palestine, work to harmonize Palestinian laws and legislations with them, and enhance the effective participation of women in efforts. The National Council to confront the risk of spreading infection with the "Corona" virus, and make every effort to protect society and overcome the danger, and to demand that women employers apply the minimum wage of 1880 shekels.

For her part, the President of the General Union of Palestinian Women, Intisar al-Wazir, said: The increase in the women´s quota by amending the election law for the current year is due to women´s struggle, calling for placing them in an advanced order in the electoral lists.

She added: The women bear the burden of asylum, and they continue to suffer from demolitions, land seizures, Judaization and siege in the Gaza Strip, in addition to the continuous suffering of Palestinian prisoners who face arbitrary sentences and inhumane conditions of detention.

She drew the minister to the increase in the rate of poverty among women due to the "Corona" pandemic and its repercussions from home quarantine and closure, calling for a national plan to study the impact of this on women, and the need for her to be represented in all committees formed to confront the epidemic.

She emphasized activating women´s efforts in popular resistance through a unified strategy, and women would continue their role in the national struggle until the establishment of our Palestinian state, calling on the government to protect women from societal violence and approve laws to protect the family from violence.

In turn, the head of the Statistics Authority, Ola Awad, reviewed the conditions of Palestinian women, saying: The number of the population in the middle of this year in Palestine reached about 5.23 million individuals, including 2.57 million females, or 49%, where about 107 thousand families are headed by women, or 11% Of families in Palestine, while the poverty rate reached 31% among families headed by women.

She added that the rate of women´s participation in the workforce reached 16% of all women of working age, compared to 18% in 2019, while the unemployment rate among women is 40%, noting that the majority of women are working in jobs of a nature. Service, which reinforces the stereotype of a woman’s presence.

She indicated that there is a remarkable development in the reality of women in education, especially higher education, where the percentage of female enrollment reached 61%.

Awad pointed out that the data showed that 5% of the members of the Central Council, 11% of the members of the National Council, 13% of the members of the Council of Ministers are women, and 11% of the female ambassadors in the diplomatic corps, and that there is one woman who occupies the position of governor out of 16 governors.

According to Awad, the data of the General Personnel Bureau until last February, the contribution of women in the civil sector reached 45% of all employees, adding that the gap is embodied when talking about those with a general director degree or higher, reaching 14% for women compared to 86% for men.

Regarding women working in the public sector, she said: There is a weakness in women´s assumption of decision-making positions, as 14% of women have the rank of director general and above, 11 ambassadors are women, and there are 3 women mayors.

She indicated that there are 96,000 women in the private sector, a quarter of employed women with wages receive less than the previous minimum wage of 1,450 shekels, and that 40% of them do not get maternity leave.

Awad called for the inclusion of women in various sectors, stressing that women are able to lead change efforts, especially in light of the upcoming legislative elections.