**Press Release**

Issued by the Amal Coalition to Combat Violence Against Women and Feminist and Human Rights Organizations – Gaza

The incidence of murders of women and girls is increasing significantly. Since the beginning of 2014, the Palestinian territories have witnessed five cases of women being murdered in less than two months. In the Gaza Strip, two girls aged 17 and 18, in addition to a 3-year-old child, were killed. In the West Bank, two girls were also murdered. Cases of femicide also saw an increase in 2013, with 26 cases of women being murdered in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Some were recorded as killings under the pretext of defending honor, some were recorded as suicide, and some were recorded as death under mysterious circumstances. Cases of femicide are being treated as simple cases by law enforcement agencies, and in many instances, the case file is closed due to insufficient evidence. Perpetrators of these crimes often claim the excuse of defending “honor” to evade deserved punishment for their crimes. The claim of defending honor has become a mask behind which the killer hides, under the cover of a supportive legal framework and a stimulating popular culture. We, in the Amal Coalition to Combat Violence Against Women and Feminist and Human Rights Organizations, strongly condemn the leniency in punishing perpetrators of femicide. We firmly believe that the absence of deterrent laws and legislation against anyone who contemplates committing such heinous crimes encourages the continuation of the series of cold-blooded murders of women. We emphasize that it is not fair to treat violations of women’s rights as if they are part of the daily behavior and customary heritage of society. We, in the Amal Coalition to Combat Violence Against Women and Feminist and Human Rights Organizations, while emphasizing our complete condemnation of the state of women’s rights in Palestinian society, also demand:

1. Serious follow-up of femicide cases and opening investigations into all cases in which women were killed, and bringing the perpetrators to justice in public trials to serve as a lesson to others.
2. Governmental and judicial bodies must deal seriously with cases of femicide or threats against women by taking swift measures that would put an end to the increase of this phenomenon, so that the matter does not worsen and the Palestinian social fabric collapses.
3. Immediately working on reviewing the relevant legislation and laws to ensure the consolidation of equal rights between women and men, while providing social protection for women.
4. Working on the immediate implementation of the decision of the President of the National Authority to abolish mitigating excuses for femicide crimes on the background of so-called honor crimes or any other excuses.
5. We call on all political forces to expedite the end of the division and restore national unity so that the Legislative Council can return to convene as a unified council and take its role in accelerating the completion of all relevant laws, foremost of which is a new penal code that deals with femicide crimes as criminal offenses against human life, regardless of gender.

Amal Coalition and Feminist and Human Rights Organizations in the Gaza Strip.