Domestic Violence Prevention
Project Overview
Domestic violence is an issue that affects women and children around the world. Gender-based violence becomes alarmingly pervasive during conflict; the UN Security Council has previously reported that there is clear evidence of dramatic increases in domestic violence in conflict and post-conflict zones worldwide. The situation is no different for the women of Gaza. According to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), reports of domestic violence cases have significantly increased during and after the recent 23-day war.
UNRWA’s “Prevention of and Protection from Domestic Violence Program” aims to reduce relatively high rates of abuse within the home by implementing a project that addresses deterrence of and shelter from domestic violence in the Gaza Strip. Initiated in 2008, the program has resulted in short-term success, while the long-term effects of the program have yet to be assessed.
Due to the recent invasion of Gaza in December 2008, UNRWA needed to divert funding for this and other important projects in order to provide urgently needed funds for food and medical aid. This funding cut comes at an unfortunate time, when domestic violence prevention is needed now more than ever.
Given that domestic violence is an especially sensitive area for intervention, and noting the general reluctance to talk about abuse within the home, the initial activities have included discussion groups for girls, for women, for families and for men, as well as educational workshops for health-care practitioners.
The discussion groups provide participants, particularly women, with networks that challenge their isolation, with individuals who listen to their concerns, and with sources of support. Growing awareness and understanding of domestic violence is also evident. Particularly amongst the girls, greater openness to discussing their personal experiences has emerged.
Discussion groups are proving to be a non-controversial and effective means of addressing domestic violence. Lectures, workshops and meetings are common in the Gaza Strip, although bringing together groups of women, or of men or of girls, to share their experiences in a guided, learning framework is a relatively new phenomenon. In this kind of forum, participants have the opportunity to listen to one another and to hear stories that they thought would never be told.
The educational workshops for health-care workers are designed to promote understanding of domestic violence, as well as of the role of health-care workers in responding to domestic violence. It is anticipated that the workshops will lead to more reliable records, a greater inclination amongst victims to seek assistance from their primary health clinic, and improvement in the referral of victims of domestic violence to appropriate services (legal, mental health, etc.).
This project is changing how women and girls see themselves and their lives. With knowledge, understanding and support, they gain a stronger awareness of their self-worth, they are better positioned to prevent violence (particularly violence that was once considered normal and not abusive, such as verbal abuse), and they have acquired skills to identify and solve problems. Supportive networks have been formed that dissolve women’s isolation and encourage women to express themselves. This development should not be underestimated, given the culture of silence that continues to surround domestic violence. Women risk their reputation, their family’s “dignity”, and their physical well-being when “speaking-out”, particularly about sexual violence. Yet, greater assertiveness and concrete skills means that violence in the homes, of at least the discussion group participants, is being addressed.
Pending further funding, interventions tackling domestic violence will expand to improving the quality and quantity of psychosocial support services and to the creation of a shelter, in the form of a multi-purpose center.
Project Purpose
The aim of UNRWA’s ongoing project tackling domestic violence is to reduce the relatively high rates of abuse within the homes of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by addressing issues of prevention and of protection. Program activities are implemented in all parts of the Gaza Strip, with particular attention given to marginalized areas. Over the nine-month implementation period, more than 150 community-based organizations will be involved in the project.
Program Activities
The activities consist of discussion groups and educational workshops for health-care workers. Every three months, there are two discussion groups in each governorate for women, girls, and their families. The topics discussed range from the causes and types of violence to decision-making and assertiveness, incorporating role plays, sharing of experiences and expression through art. There are also discussion groups for men, comprising four sessions that address the concept of violence, its causes and forms, the effects of violence on the family and the means of reducing violence in the home.
Over a three-day period, the educational workshops provide staff from the UNRWA health clinics with an introduction to issues relating to domestic violence from a health-care perspective, covering basic concepts and assistance for victims. It is anticipated that the workshops will lead to more reliable records, a greater inclination amongst victims to seek assistance from their primary health clinic, and improvement in the referral of victims of domestic violence to appropriate services (legal, mental health, etc.).
Impact
- greater recognition and understanding of domestic violence amongst both women and men;
- greater recognition and assertion of legal rights;
- acquisition of knowledge and skills in resolving conflicts through non-violent means;
- greater sensitivity to domestic violence amongst health-care workers;
- reduction in violence in some homes
