The Center for Women’s Legal Researches, Counselling and Protection (CWLRCP) Concludes First Session for Sharia Court Judges

The Center for Women’s Legal Researches, Counselling and Protection (CWLRCP) concluded its first training session entitled “Empowering Sharia Judges to Protect the Rights of Abused Women,” as part of the project “Improving Justice Sector Services for Abused Women in the Gaza Strip.”

Project Coordinator Professor Wafa Helles explained that the training session targeted (18) heads of registry and executive directors in Sharia courts. They received (27) training hours on several issues and topics of importance to them, focusing on the following: (international conventions, gender-based violence, implementation problems, observations on the Personal Status Law, challenges and women’s right to access justice, and the most prominent types of women’s cases before the Sharia judiciary).

Attendees emphasized the importance of the training and the topics discussed, which they considered an addition to their knowledge, especially regarding new information pertaining to women’s issues, the violence they are subjected to, and international conventions. They also highlighted the importance of discussing issues being handled in Sharia courts and the problems they face during implementation, especially as they have not received training in years.