By Nisreen Tabari | Director
Dear friends,
Thank you for supporting our project to end violence against Palestinian women in Israel. A year have passed since you received our last update. In the last eight months, we witnessed unprecedented violence against the Palestinian people in Gaza.In Israel, we saw serious violations of the right to freedom of expression.
The war affected our project in many ways. Most notably, women who live in abusive and violent relationships do not prioritize their own situation in times of national crisis. While our hotline received an avalanche of calls by Palestinian citizens of Israel who were dismissed from their jobs and suspended from their universities due to their opposition to the war, we saw a significant drop in the number of calls concerning gender-based violence. At the same time, we know that domestic and gender-based violence are increasing during war and the lockdown and economic distress that come with it. An important part of our work since the beginning of the war is to emphasize in publications, in interviews, meetings and workshops with women and on social media that personal safety takes priority over all other issues, and that victims of violence are encouraged to call Kayan. In the last weeks, we have seen a steep increase in calls received by our hotline, a sign that women who kept silent during the first months of the war are finally taking action to escape situations of violence and abuse.
Our work to support women living in danger is more vitally important than ever. Femicide is increasing in the Palestinian society in Israel. 17 women were murdered in 2023, a worrisome 42 % increase compared to 2022. 3 women were killed in the first quarter of 2024. The causes of femicide are diverse, but they all stem from gender discrimination and the patriarchal society attempting to assert dominance over women and usurp their decision-making.Every victim of gender-based violence paid with her life for the fact that her male murderer, who in most cases was a (former) spouse or family member, did not respect her right to determine her own fate and make her own decisions, such as choosing her spouse, deciding to divorce her husband, or determining her education choices.
The authorities, notably the police and the Ministry of Social Affairs, neglect their duty to protect women in danger. Research conducted by Kayan revealed systematic neglect by the police, which facilitated the killing of women in numerous cases.We at Kayan make a strong and decided contribution to raising awareness and visibility of femicide. To every crime, our grassroots women’s groups in the towns and villages were the victims lived and tragically died, react with local protests, workshops, discussions, publications on social media, etc. We find innovative ways of protest for each case, to make sure that the crimes are noticed, and to mobilize society and people in authority to prevent future murders. We follow up on the criminal prosecution, accompany victim’s families in the judicial process, and seek to prevent deals between the prosecution and defense that result in reduced penalties for the perpetrator. For deterrence and prevention of femicide, every murderer must receive his fair punishment.
While most female murder victims shared a previous relationship with their killer, three Palestinian women in Israel were killed in 2023 as innocent bystanders of fights between organized crime organizations. Gang violence in the Palestinian community in Israel escalated last year and was the reason for the majority of the 233 homicides of Palestinian citizens of Israel, a high homicide rate in a population of just 2.1 million people, and a shocking spike from 108 assassinations the previous years, and 74 five years ago.
In many localities, organized crime and the proliferation of illegal firearms was so dominant that the safety and even lives of our grassroots activists were in danger. The meeting place of one group, and the home of one local women’s groups leader, a candidate for the local elections, were shot at. It was dangerous for some groups to meet. Many women were close to giving up and returning to their private lives instead of putting themselves in the line of fire. We made the personal safety of our community-based activists a priority. For example, we supported the decision of the threatened woman to withdraw her candidacy for the local elections, and cancelled activities and meetings if there was a risk of violence. At the same time, we worked hard to sustain our groups through many meetings, conversations, and psychological support sessions, so that they can continue to be locally active to realize our goal of non-violence in our homes and in our society.
We hope formore peaceful and quiet times ahead forall of us.Stay safe, wherever you may live in these days of escalating violence and conflicts worldwide.
We are so glad to have you on our team!
Nisreen Tabari,
Director, Kayan – Feminist Organization
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