Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a major issue facing Palestinian women, connected to the multiple discriminations they face as a minority and as women. Kayan addresses this in creative, empowering, and publicly engaging ways. We hold lectures, artistic events, consultations for survivors, awareness-raising workshops, and an annual intensive 16 Days Campaign against SGBV. Our campaigns reach thousands of people every year, generating conversation about SGBV and making change possible.
We challenge norms around the urgent issues of violence against Palestinian women. Four in five women who seek legal support from Kayan have experienced violence. We also found that nearly half of Palestinian young people in Israel believed that "honor" killings of women are justifiable. This project aims to change culture by empowering women to break taboos of violence and by informing thousands of Palestinians about the problem, as well as by helping women demand their right to live in safety.
Kayan addresses the underlying social norms that allow for violence through a variety of strategies. From public mural paintings to street theater to personal emotional and legal support to survivors of violence, we are creating change from the bottom up. We address many aspects of violence, including sexual harassment in the workplace and online. We are documenting cases of femicide to find where institutions and society have failed women in order to strategically target the most dire issues.
This project is about the long-term transformation of society. Through our campaign and ongoing field work, we inspire discussions about gender-based violence, allowing for a new feminist discourse. Our campaign activities challenge traditional gender roles, while enforcing social and political accountability for upholding women's rights. In the long term, women will be able to participate in the public sphere without fear, allowing them to take leading and decision-making roles.
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