By Rebecca Westrom | Intern, Development Coordination
Dear Friends,
Thank you for believing in Kayan Feminist Organization. Your support helps us amplify our reach and increase our capacity to serve more women. The Arab women in this organization are working daily to obtain their rights in the wake of multiple crises, including the COVID-19 crisis.
Kayan has continued its efforts to engage youth and local grassroots women in the community during the past months by collaborating with other organizations. Aside from an international "Start to Listen" podcast project on VAW (violence agains women), the youth have also organized community-building events and dialogues. One of the youth groups discussed cyberbullying and blackmail during a workshop since this form of violence has been on the rise since the outbreak of COVID-19.
With the Jusur Forum and one of the local women's groups, we conducted intensive training workshops on women in politics since we got back in-person training again. Seven women who serve on local councils from the West Bank were among the participants, sharing their experiences. Additionally, the training covered how to frame messages and develop media relations. Moreover, we held preparation meetings for the upcoming election season together with the Jusur Forum. They attended several training sessions related to local elections and grassroots activism.
Together with the Fada Coalition - Palestinian Women Against Violence, Kayan hosted diverse online initiatives during the last months. Four different media outlets participated in our virtual discussion. As part of this conversation, Arab female journalists discussed the challenges they face in the media and in their fieldwork. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fada Facebook page, our coalition continued to serve as a "triage" point for Arab women seeking assistance. The number of women reached through Facebook has shown how effective Fada is at spreading information and making Palestinian women feel comfortable seeking assistance. With over 3,000 women calling, our coalition has seen an increase in women contacting hotlines and receiving support.
Over the past few months, Kayan staff have continued to track and publicize Arab women's femicides in Israel. Kayan continues to advocate for change in the justice system as lenient plea deals for femicide perpetrators continue. Kayan is each case to better understand the problem and prevent future deals. Furthermore, Kayan hosted a number of virtual discussions on the murder of women and recent research on the issue.
Kayan hosted lectures and workshops on the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, what the law requires, and who is responsible for preventing harassment. Kayan contributed to the creation of a podcast about workplace sexual harassment in collaboration with Far'aa Ma'ai. Furthermore, Kayan's lawyer Alhan Nahhas-Daoud successfully argued for legislation allowing the Ministry of Education to suspend teachers suspected of sexual crimes or violence, and to dismiss those who have been convicted.
As the month of June began, Kayan's General Director, Rafah Anebtawy, attended the World Justice Forum 2022 in the Netherlands. Leaders and advocates from the public and private sectors attended the forum. They discussed a path to recovery from COVID-19 that is just along with a plan to ensure that their Sustainable Development Goals remain in place. Rafah met with several Dutch institutions and foundations to discuss inequality, discrimination, and widespread rights violations facing Arabs after the forum. In the future, we hope to work closely with them.
Your continuous support and partnership in supporting Arab women's needs during and after COVID-19 is greatly appreciated. During this difficult time, we hope you and your families are healthy and safe. Change is possible with your help. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Gratefully,
The Kayan’s Team
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