From Gaza, with Love

Monday, March 14, 2011

Happy International Women's Day

The 100 hundred year anniversary comes this year, with the Motto of the duty of men and women, to work to end the violence against women and girls of the world. While Palestinian women still face all sorts of violence as the Israeli occupation continues to harass both men and women in Palestine, it is the women who bear the brunt of it. Women are facing increasing rules inside the family and the society as men’s mass unemployment in Gaza causes their proud role in the family to deteriorate. The burden is heavier when the husband is absent, a political prisoner inside Israeli jails or killed by the continuous military attacks. Besides the violence of the occupation, the harassment and constraints imposed by a very traditional society treat her as an unequal person, depriving her of her chances to be a free individual who can decide, achieve and contribute to the progress of the society and the world.
Despite this traditional and political backdrop, many women managed to get educated and find work, fighting daily for their rights. Education has played a great role, helping our women to recognize their rights and work to achieve them. This is no more evident than for those Palestinian women who have got jobs and achieved to some extent economic independence and above all to be better individuals for their own benefit and the society.
The different programmes run by Palestinian NGOS target women in a holistic approach, focusing on health, health education, legal aid, sports, nutrition, psychological support and counseling; but above all, awareness! With education, awareness is the other step towards enlightenment,
On International Women’s Day, I send a message of solidarity, love and appreciation to the women of Egypt and Tunisia, who were hand in hand with men to achieve the great change in their country, and I will them on to continue until they achieve all their political rights, towards a democratic, just and free society.
Happy International Women’s day from Gaza – Palestine.
Mona ElFarra
From Gaza With Love

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