Date: May 27, 2013

Statement Issued by the “Amal” Coalition

Condemning the Murder of Citizen Nawal Qudaih and Demanding that the Perpetrators be Held Accountable Without Delay

Gaza – The “Amal” Coalition Against Violence Against Women condemns the murder of citizen Nawal Qudaih, 25 years old, from the town of Khuza’a, south of the Gaza Strip. The incident occurred the day before yesterday, Saturday, May 25, 2013, after she was attacked inside her home by her husband’s family. It is noted that the deceased was six months pregnant and a mother to a child who is one and a half years old.

The “Amal” Coalition views with great concern the increasing rates of domestic violence in the Gaza Strip, which deprives citizens of a sense of security and threatens the stability of society. The continuation of crimes of killing women, regardless of the motives behind these crimes, is an issue that threatens the lives of women and the community alike.

It should be noted that during the last week, in addition to the murder of the young woman Nawal Qudaih, two men from the Abu Safiya family also fell victim to violence and family disputes, in addition to the injury of a number of people, including three women.

The “Amal” Coalition demands that the governing authorities in the Gaza Strip immediately hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable and calls for strict legal measures to be taken to stop all forms of violence against women, especially murder.

It also emphasizes the need to unify the efforts of civil society organizations and political forces to educate Palestinian society about the dangers of violence that affects our society, especially the various forms of violence to which women are exposed, which affects the social fabric and threatens the stability of the Palestinian family.