**Date: December 6, 2016**
The Center for Women’s Legal Researches, Counselling and Protection (CWLRCP) is implementing the “Legal Protection for Women” project, with support from “Sawasiya,” the Joint Programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women: Promoting the Rule of Law: Justice and Security for the Palestinian People (2014-2017). The six-month project runs from October 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017. Through this project, the Center aims to contribute to the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality in the Gaza Strip.
Project Coordinator Professor Wafaa Helles indicated that the project aims to increase the capacities of lawyers regarding women’s rights and gender equality, improve the knowledge and understanding of decision-makers, and increase community awareness and education in the field of women’s rights and gender equality.
She explained that activities were implemented according to the proposed plan to achieve the project’s objectives, which include training (25) lawyers from the Gaza and Middle Governorates – the area where the project is being implemented – including (17) female lawyers and (8) male lawyers, for 30 hours over six training days, under the title “For Equal Rights for Women to Achieve Justice and Social Well-being.” In addition, (3) community meetings were held in the following governorates: Khan Yunis, Gaza, and the Middle Governorate. The three meetings were attended by a total of (124) directors of community, women’s, and human rights organizations, reformers, and lawyers, including (60) women and (64) men. The meetings were conducted to restore the rights of marginalized women in society and enhance their self-confidence. A number of important issues that the Center seeks to achieve and gain public support for were discussed, which include demanding the abolition of the judicial circular regarding the filing of a suit of discord and conflict by the husband in order to achieve social and legal justice for women, and the establishment of a system of sharing joint funds between spouses to guarantee women’s financial rights, in addition to demanding the approval of a judicial divorce law (Khula) in the Sharia courts in Gaza.
Helles noted that (15) field workshops were conducted in the Gaza and Middle Governorates, attended by the targeted groups from institutions in the targeted areas, including women, men, and families, including (426) women and (57) men, with a total of (483) participants, with the aim of bringing about a change in the ideas and behavior of the targeted groups towards women’s rights.
