WUNRN
|
An
UNIFEM survey indicates there was an increase in violence against women
during and after the 23-day war (file photo) |
An
unpublished UNIFEM survey of male and female heads of 1,100
“According
to our staff, and through clinical observation, there was increased violence
against women and children during and after the war,” said public relations
coordinator for the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), Husam al-Nounou.
“We can
attribute this to the fact that most people were exposed to traumatic incidents
during the war, and one way people react to stress is to become violent.”
GCMHP,
which runs six clinics and treats an estimated 2,000 mental health patients a
year, carried out a post-war assessment, interviewing about 3,500 Gaza
residents, said al-Nounou.
“This
war was extremely harsh, people felt insecure, vulnerable and unable to protect
themselves, their children and their families; when people were trapped at home
this increased the stress and anxiety,” said al-Nounou.
Testimonies
The number of divorce
and separation cases has increased significantly since the war, and domestic
violence played a role in the increase. |
Sahar
(who wanted her family name omitted), aged 36, divorced her husband in February
due to the physical and psychological abuse she endured leading up to and
during the war.
“He
beat me severely and I was fainting from the stress,” said Sahar. “He forced me
to engage in sexual intercourse against my will.”
Sahar
brings her two-year-old daughter to the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and
Conflict Resolution (PCDCR) to visit the daughter’s father. The court ordered
supervised visits after Sahar’s ex-husband and his brothers tried to take her
daughter away by force.
“Before
the war the centre was facilitating supervised visits for 30 families, but now
it is doing this for 60 families,” said Bakr Turkmani, an attorney at the
PCDCR.
“The
number of divorce and separation cases has increased significantly since the
war, and domestic violence played a role in the increase,” he said.
“My
husband beat me and insulted me,” said another victim of domestic violence from
“If I
do not accompany the victims to the police station, their reports of abuse are
not accepted,” said Turkmani.
Human rights centre
|
Mohja Ateya works at the |
Director
of the women’s unit at the leading Palestinian human rights organisation, the
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Muna As-Shawa, said the centre had
received reports of increased domestic violence and sexual assault during and
after the hostilities. The unit had counselled over 600 women.
“During
and after the war women struggled to fulfil their roles as mothers, and care
for their children without electricity and water, while under attack,” said
As-Shawa, “and if the husband died, sometimes the father-in-law took the
inheritance and tried to take custody of the children.”
PCHR is
providing legal advice to widows.
The
Women’s Affairs Centre (WAC) in
“Many
women who never experienced violence at home, were beaten during the war,” WAC
director Amal Siam told IRIN.
Scores
of women who lost their husbands came to WAC seeking assistance after their
fathers-in-law tried to take custody of their children, said
According
to UNIFEM, the results of the first UN inter-agency gender needs assessment are
due in May.
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