Over Two and a Half Million Palestinians More Aware of Essential Services for Survivors of Violence Following Completion of Media Campaign “Our Services” by the HAYA Joint Programme
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Through an awareness raising media campaign launched by the HAYA Joint Programme at the end of June 2022, more than two and a half million Palestinian citizens became more aware of the available essential services for women survivors of gender-based violence* and were encouraged to access these services. These services include health care, justice and policing, and social services.
The “Our Services” media campaign was led by the HAYA Joint Programme: Eliminating Violence Against Women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and in partnership with Roya Television and Afkar Media. The campaign encompassed several activities including television spots and episodes and informational cards shared on various social media sites, billboards, video shorts, radio spots and episodes, and advertisements on public transportation that reached almost reached over 2,800,000 people during the campaign period.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), more than 59 per cent of married women are subjected to violence by their husbands and 53 per cent of unmarried young women at the hands of a family member. In addition, it was found that half of women survivors are unaware of the services provided by governmental bodies and civil society organizations. Only 1.4 per cent of women survivors request help from psychosocial and legal service providers.
In addition, the campaign highlighted the Palestinian Ministry of Health services through its family counseling rooms that provide primary health and psychological care while ensuring privacy and confidentiality to women and girl survivors of violence when they arrive at hospitals and primary health care directorates. The campaign also emphasized the family and juvenile protection unit services of the Palestinian police that works to implement the law and protect families from violence. This is done by collecting evidence and researching and investigating crimes and their perpetrators under the supervision of the Public Prosecution. The campaign focused on raising awareness around forensic medicine services, important to improving the criminal justice system for women, men, and children. Forensic doctors are utilized by the Public Prosecution to prove crimes committed against victims and survivors of violence, helping to achieve justice and ensure punishment for perpetrators of these crimes.
Finally, the campaign highlighted social services including psychosocial support services, individual and group sessions, psychological counseling, mental health treatment and social integration, in addition to safety services and social services, provided by the Ministry of Social Development.
“We are proud to collaborate with our government partners and civil society organizations that provide critical services to women survivors of gender-based violence, says Hazam Tahbub, Programme Manager for the HAYA Joint Programme. “In the HAYA Joint Programme, we work hand in hand with our partners to ensure that women and girl survivors of violence are informed of the available services and ensure their access to safe and quality services.”
Survivors of violence can access all available services here, information on the helplines for survivors here, and for GBV room locations here.
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*Gender-based violence is any violence that arises based on relationships, social roles, and values that society defines for both women and men that causes harm, whether psychological, physical, or sexual.
For more information, please contact:
- Lisa Sabella
Media and Communication Coordinator for the HAYA Joint Programme
Email: sabella@unwomen.org
Tel: +970 595 543 236
About the HAYA Joint Programme:
The HAYA Joint Programme seeks to eliminate violence against women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. HAYA is funded by the Government of Canada and jointly implemented by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Social Development as well as other ministries and civil society organizations.