WUNRN
PALESTINE - WOMEN PROTEST RECENT
FEMICIDES & CALL FOR STRONGER LAWS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A Palestinian woman holds a sign reading in Arabic
"Protecting women from violence is an official [authorities] and social
responsibility" during a rally at the spot where a woman was slain Monday
in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Credit: Majdi Mohammed / Associated Press
August 2, 2012 - RAMALLAH, West Bank --
Four recent cases of women slain allegedly at the hand of either a husband or
father have prompted women and human rights groups to demand tougher
Palestinian laws against domestic violence.
Several female
activists marched through the streets of Bethlehem on Thursday demanding
justice for women in a patriarchal and traditional society. They also demanded
severe punishment for men who kill or batter a female family member.
Women carried placards
saying: “No to murder, yes to life” and “Shame on us Palestinians who kill our
women.”
The march, following
previous protests this week, was prompted by a slaying Monday on a busy street
in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. A 28-year-old woman was stabbed several
times in the chest and her throat was slashed while people stood by and
watched. She later died in a hospital.
Her 33-year-old
husband is in custody, and police say they expect to file murder charges
against him.
The grotesque killing outraged many people, who argued
that laws in the Palestinian territories are not tough enough against domestic
violence.
In just one month, a
father allegedly killed his high school daughter in the West Bank town of
Tulkarm, another father is accused of beating his daughter to death in the city
of Hebron and a third allegedly killed a daughter in the Gaza Strip. All
apparently were so-called honor killings; in each case the alleged killer is in
custody and facing murder charges.
The Bethlehem case was
different. Police say the couple were at odds for several years and the wife,
Nancy Zaboun, who worked at a clothing store in Bethlehem, had filed for
divorce. The couple had three children, ages 8, 5 and 18 months, who are
currently in foster care.
The Zaboun family
initially refused to bury their daughter, demanding that her killer first be
put to death, but later agreed to the burial. The Palestinian Authority is
opposed to capital punishment, though it is still on the books from the time
Jordan ruled the West Bank.
Women's organizations
say a severe punishment and laws that take seriously the killing of a female
family member would suffice.