MIFTAH recently completed a three-day workshop, which targeted 20 imams, women preachers and community leaders in Nablus entitled “Health and reproductive rights and gender equality” as part of its “Support for The Protection Of Women ” project, funded by UNFPA.
The participants’ views
The participants all agreed that they obtained new information about subjects unfamiliar to them in terms of reproductive health and gender equality and how to handle such issues in society.
Amal Hashash: courage and interaction
Amal Hashash, a volunteer in the women’s committee at the Islamic Waqf Ministry, said the workshop offered her new information on how to deal with issues within her own circle, starting with children, her husband and society at large. “This new information gave us courage and the boost we needed to address many issues considered cornerstones in building sound family and society,” she said. Hashash added that perhaps the participants needed more workshops and time to more clearly understand the topics addressed and subjects discussed related to reproductive health and gender equality.
Fathi Kakur: quality information
Counselor Fathi Kakur, said the workshops added to his existing knowledge on reproductive health including learning about reproductive health laws and rights, the harmful effects of early marriage, illnesses and linkage between psychological and physical health. The biggest impact the workshops had on him, he said was his newfound conviction that people must take the initiative to care for their health and not to brush aside any symptoms they might have. “People should get periodic checkups even when they do not feel sick,” he concluded.
Abdel Rahim Jadallah: reflection and impact
Abdel Rahim Jadallah from the Nablus Waqf Authority and one of its imams said the workshop was important in terms of its impact on how to raise a healthy and sound family, since he said, “a sound family means a sound and upright society free of ills, whether physical or mental.” Jadallah went on to say that given his position as an imam and the head of a household, the workshop will have a considerable effect on his own family and how he raises his children. “This will spill over to the community in general because they will have access to the information and education needed to contribute to building a sound and healthy society.”
Abu Ghosh: influential sectors
Reproductive health expert and trainer, Hanan Abu Ghosh said that targeting imams and female preachers in the workshops was extremely important given that they have such influence on society. “We had to raise the level of awareness among this sector regarding reproductive health, having accurate information about the concepts of social justice and breaking the information barrier on these issues,” she said. Abu Ghosh explained that on every subject broached, the same questions arose about what their role was as imams and female preachers. “The participants were very enthusiastic and interactive; they were open to discussing the topics at hand and were punctual in attendance throughout the three days. They left a very positive impression with me in terms of how they think and their boldness in the discussions.”
Hanan Said: raising the level of awareness
MIFTAH’s project coordinator Hanan Said says the training was to raise awareness and empowerment within a sector involved in health and reproductive rights and gender equality. She continued that including these issues in the religious discourse would contribute to raising the level of awareness among people and decrease gender-based violence. “This training will be followed by a series of awareness-raising workshops carried out by the participants in their respective communities,” Said explained. “Their performance will then be evaluated and the obstacles and outcomes of the sessions will be discussed.”
بمشاركة 20 من الأئمة والواعظات والقادة المجتمعيين
'مفتاح' تختتم ورشة تدريبية حول 'الحقوق الصحية والإنجابية والمساواة بين الجنسين'
تاريخ النشر: 13/10/2016
بقلم: مفتاح
أنهت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح"، ورشة عمل تدريبية على مدى ثلاثة أيام، واستهدفت 20 من الأئمة والواعظات والقادة المجتمعيين في محافظة نابلس، حول " الحقوق الصحية والانجابية والمساواة بين الجنسين"، ضمن مشروع " دعم حماية المرأة" ، والممول من صندوق الأمم المتحدة للسكان UNFPA.
ماذا قال المشاركون في الورشة؟
أجمع المشاركون في الورشة على أهمية ما تلقوه من موضوعات بعضها كان جديدا عليهم وغير مألوف، فيما عززت معلومات لدى آخرين فيما يتعلق بموضوع الصحة الإنجابية وكيف التعاطي معها في الميادين المختلفة.
أمل حشاش: جرأة وتفاعل
بالنسبة لأمل حشاش، من العمل النسائي، والتي تعمل متطوعة في وزارة الأوقاف الإسلامية قالت‘ إن مشاركتها في ورشة العمل تلك أكسبتها علما ومعرفة في كيفية التعامل مع المحيط بدءا بالأولاد والزوج والمجتمع عموما، ما أحدث تفاعلا وأنتج حلولا لعقد كثيرة في التعامل مع هذا المحيط، ومنحتنا جرأة وتفاعلا في كثير من القضايا التي تعتبر ركنا أساسيا في بناء أسرة ومجتمع سليمين. تضيف:" لعلنا نحتاج إلى مزيد من هذه الورشات، ومزيدا من الوقت لفهم نقاط وموضوعات نوقشت وطرحت خلال الورشة، لكنها بحاجة إلى مزيد من الإفاضة والإيضاحات".
فتحي كعكور: إضافة نوعية
في حين مثلت موضوعات الورشة إضافة نوعية في المعرفة لدى فتحي كعكور، ويعمل مرشدا نفسيا، إلى ما لديه من معلومات في موضوع الصحة الإنجابية، ومن جديد ما أضافته كما يقول" بعض القوانين والحقوق المتعلقة بالصحة الإنجابية، ومضار الزواج المبكر، وطبيعة الأمراض التي تصيب الإنسان، والربط بين الصحة النفسية وصحة الجسد وسلامته. مع ذلك، فإن الأثر الأكبر الذي تركته لديه، هو القناعة بأن يبادر الإنسان إلى الاهتمام بصحة وعدم الاستهانة بأي أعراض تصيبه، وأن يجؤي دوريا ما يلزم من فحوصات حتى ولو لم يكن مريضا.
عبدالرحيم جاد الله: انعكاس وأثر
وأكد عبدالرحيم محمد جاد الله، من أوقاف نابلس، وأحد الأئمة، على أهمية الورشة وما تركته من أثر على بناء الأسرة السليمة والصحية، لأن أسرة سليمة تعني مجتمعا صالحا وسليما وخاليا من الأمراض سواء كانت البدنية أو النفسية. أضاف:" كوني إمام مسجد ورب أسرة، فسيكون لهذه الورشة انعكاس كبير على أسرتي وتربيتي لأبنائي وعنايتي بهم، وأيضا على المواطنين عموما الذين سيكون بإمكانهم الحصول على ما ينفعهم من علم وثقافة ومعرفة تساهم في بناء مجتمع سليم خال من الأمراض".
أبو غوش: فئات مؤثرة
بدورها، قالت حنان أبو غوش، خبيرة ومدربة في مجال الصحة الإنجابية، أن استهداف الأئمة والوعاظ في هذه الورشة كان على غاية من الأهمية بالنظر إلى أنهما من الفئات المؤثرة في المجتمع بحكم عملهم. وبالتالي كان لا بد من رفع الوعي لدى هذه الفئة في كثير من الموضوعات المتعلقة بالصحة الإنجابية، وامتلاك المعلومات والمعرفة الدقيقة بمفاهيم العدلة الاجتماعية، وكسر حاجز المعرفة بمثل هذه القضايا. أضافت:" في كل ما طرح كان هناك تساؤلات من قبيل أين دور الأئمة والواعظات في القضايا المطروحة، ومن هنا أبدى المشاركون حماسا وتفاعلا كبيرين، وكان هناك انسجاما واضحا بهذا الشأن، وانفتاح فيما نوقش من موضوعات، كما بدا الالتزام كبيرا من قبل المشاركين والمشاركات في أوقات انعقاد الورشة على مدى ثلاثة أيام، وقد تركوا لدي انطباعا إيجابيا حيال طريقة تفكيرهم، وجرأتهم فيما طرح من نقاشات".
حنان سعيد: رفع مستوى الوعي
في حين قالت حنان سعيد، منسقة المشروع:" يأتي هذا التدريب كمرحلة توعوية وتمكينية للفئة المشاركة في قضايا الحقوق الصحية والإنجابية والمساواة بين الجنسين، وأن تضمين مثل هذه القضايا في الخطاب الديني والتوعوي لأبناء المجتمع يساهم في رفع مستوى الوعي والتقليل من العنف المبني على النوع الاجتماعي". أضافت:" سيتبع هذا التدريب تنفيذ سلسلة من اللقاءات التوعوية التي سينفذها المشاركون/ات في مجتمعاتهم المحلية، وسيتم تقييم تجربة أدائهم والوقوف عند المعيقات والنتائج التي احرزتها جلسات التوعية".
MIFTAH releases 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social and security sectors, including social justice and gender indicators
Date posted: April 04, 2023
By MIFTAH
MIFTAH recently released 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social sector (health, education, higher education and scientific research, social development and labor), and for the first time, the security sector (Ministry of Interior and National Security). The reports were based on annual financial data released by the Ministry of Finance in Palestine for 2021-2022 and on an accrual basis.
The data showed that the Ministry of Interior and National Security had the highest percentage of actual spending in 2022, accounting for 22.8% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.68 billion. This was a slight increase from the Ministry’s share in 2021. Meanwhile, actual spending on the education sector (Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research) stood at 21.5% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.48 billion. This was also an increase from the education sector’s share in 2021, which was 20.6% of public expenditures.
Moreover, actual spending on the Ministry of Health also increased in 2022, comprising 15% of overall public expenditures, at a sum of ILS2.4 billion. This was higher than in 2021, where its share was 14.4%. As for the Ministry of Social Development, actual spending was still low, amounting for 6.2% of overall public expenditures in 2022, compared to 5.8% in 2021. The Ministry of Social Development’s actual spending in 2022 was approximately ILS1 billion. As for the labor sector, actual spending on this sector in 2022 was 0.31% of overall public expenditures, while in 2021 it was 0.28%. Actual spending on the labor sector in 2022 was ILS50.1 million.
Upon review of actual spending reports of the targeted ministries from a gender and social justice perspective, it is clear that actual spending on the Ministry of Social Development does not coincide with the scope of its responsibilities as the forerunner of the social sector in Palestine, including its programs for combatting poverty and the protection of poor and marginalized social sectors. Moreover, non-compliance to the disbursement of payments for poor families within the CTP continued according to estimates, whereby only two of four installments for 2022 were disbursed, one at minimum value. This adversely affected the financial security of the most underprivileged and marginalized sectors of society, in addition to the insufficient estimated budget and actual spending on the social protection program, in spite of its importance in providing protection and social services to battered women, children, special-needs persons and the elderly.
The data also pointed to the low percentage of women working in the security sector, which stood at 6% of the total number of workers in this sector, while they comprised 46% of the civil sector. This shows a gap in actual spending on the security sector from a gender perspective, given that the lion’s share of actual spending in 2022 was on salaries and wages. Hence, women only benefited very little from these allocations, which were nearly ILS2.9 billion in 2022.
The data also indicated that the development expenditures for the Ministry of Labor were only ILS4.5 million in 2022, even though planned development expenditures were ILS32 million, which is much higher. This casts a shadow on gender-related programs and projects, which were allotted sizeable budgets within development expenditures, such as creating sustainable opportunities as alternatives for Palestinian men and women working in settlements, for which ILS10 million were earmarked.
Even though there was an increase in actual spending in 2022 at the targeted ministries in general, this increase was mainly concentrated on salaries and wages. In spite of the importance of providing a decent life for employees, there is still a need to increase spending on development expenditures, since they are at the forefront of developing government services, including the nationalization and institutionalization of various social services.
MIFTAH concludes town hall meetings on political participation and citizens’ rights for women and youth
Date posted: January 09, 2023
By MIFTAH
Ramallah – 29/12/2022 – Within its efforts to promote democratic values and the peaceful transfer of power within the Palestinian government system, MIFTAH’s field advisory team completed over 100 town hall meetings in the second half of 2022. The meetings were held in coordination and cooperation with CSOs, LGUs and grassroots organizations and targeted women and youth in several West Bank and Gaza Strip districts. The objective of these meetings was to raise awareness among the electorate on the electoral system in Palestine and on civil society demands to increase women and youth participation in local and general elections as candidates and voters, on the premise that this boosts their presence in decision-making levels and involves them in public affairs.
The town hall meetings included several exchange visits between LGU members in the various districts. The women shared the experiences and challenges they faced after becoming council members. The meetings focused on the concept of citizenship within a broader definition of the various forms of political participation and the importance of involvement from youth and women in public life. They also pointed to the different forms of democracy and the main pillars of the democratic society Palestinians seek to create. The participants furthermore discussed the various forms of electoral systems and shed light on the gaps in electoral laws regarding the presence of women and youth.
The participants pointed to the importance of periodic legislative and presidential elections and the danger of the ongoing absence of the PLC on matters pertaining to civic peace. They also warned against the absence of oversight and accountability, maintaining that the defunct PLC has contributed to shrinking civic space and public freedoms and therefore, the ability or desire to become involved in political life, especially for women and youth. In most of the meetings, the participants also indicated that the absence of a regular democratic process in Palestine contributed to the overall exclusion of youth from participation and to the marginalization of the role of women in Palestinian political decision-making.
The town hall meetings stressed on the importance of pressing for legislative, presidential and local elections in all West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip districts. They also endorsed the demand for equality in electoral laws, starting with raising the women’s quota to a minimum of 30%, raising the candidacy age and lowering the threshold. They urged Palestinian factions to assume a key role in the process of inclusion for women and youth in the public sphere and to prevent the progression of tribalism in the democratic process. The attendees emphasized the importance of monitoring the performance of LGUs in their interaction with local communities and the consistency of their meetings. Finally, they said female council members must be given the opportunity to exercise their role in their respective councils as equals to their male counterparts.
MIFTAH holds town hall meetings on an annual basis as part of its awareness campaign on citizens’ rights and the promotion of the democratic approach for a peaceful transfer of power, in addition to the involvement of women and youth in elections as both candidates and voters. Each year, through these town hall meetings, MIFTAH aims to reach the widest possible segment of the electorate and the different social sectors in all parts of Palestine.
MIFTAH completes training workshop in the Gaza Strip on family protection and advocacy
Date posted: January 05, 2023
By MIFTAH
Gaza – 2/1/2023 – MIFTAH recently completed a training workshop on measures and regulations on family protection in the Gaza Strip. The workshop was part of MIFTAH’s strategic objectives to prioritize family issues in communities and to support local institutions in increasing awareness on citizenship and constitutional rights for Palestinian women and on combatting all forms of GBV and discrimination in Palestinian society.
The workshop’s objectives included providing institutions with important information on the legislations, laws and measures for family protection in effect in the Gaza Strip, in a bid to enhance the oversight role of CSOs in holding accountable official parties responsible for enforcing these measures and legislations. The training also included offering institutions the necessary mechanisms for managing digital and media campaigns to press for the ratification of laws and legislation that protect women’s rights.
The discussions focused on a number of points, including legal (including sharia law) rebuttals to claims from parties opposing legislation, including the Family Protection Law. They also discussed how applicable this law would be in the Gaza Strip once ratified by the President.
The participants unanimously agreed that they supported adoption of the law, giving no credence to the claims of more extreme elements in Gaza on the Family Protection Law. They called on MIFTAH to hold general, open meetings with the public to introduce them to the law and its importance, so that they could defend themselves from the extremist discourse surrounding it.
Opinions and impressions
One of the participants, Latifa Shatat, said such training workshops were crucial for every Palestinian, male and female. “It is great we are pressing for protection laws such as the Family Protection Bill. This law will have tremendous impact on society as a whole. I can say from experience as a social and mental health worker that protection is the most important element in our work, especially in cases involving women and children, who are the most vulnerable social sectors. I commend MIFTAH and anyone who participates in spreading a culture of nonviolence, protection, justice and equality.”
Meanwhile, Haifa Al Araj said the training offered important details about the Family Protection Law and also ways of conducting initiatives and activities that could produce positive results in mobilizing support it.
Another participant, Hatem Abu Ta’a, said the training was a new starting point for him as an institution director in terms of integrating the demand to implement the Family Protection Law in all advocacy and lobbying activities and programs. He said he became more aware of the impediments to the law’s implementation at the official and social level, saying, “This training reminds us to renew our calls to demand implementation and ratification of the law at the official level.”
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abu Rabee said ratification of the Family Protection Law would be a huge step, for women and children especially. “This law will amplify women’s voices and their ability to access help with stronger and more supportive centers throughout the homeland. As a strong supporter of this bill, I want to stress on the importance of civil society institutions explaining the clauses in the bill pertaining to CEDAW and to also focus on working with parties that oppose the law in particular.”
The training workshop is part of MIFTAH’s “Policy dialogue and Good Governance” Program, which aims at influencing public policies and legislation in favor of protection for citizens’ rights in Palestinian society, based on the principles of social justice and respect for human rights.
