2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Gaza and West Bank
always denied but certainly restricted, either directly or not being able to
identify themselves as such due to security concerns.
Child, early and forced marriage (CEFM)
One of the forms of GBV that poses particularly high risks for adolescent
girls is early and forced marriage. 95 According to the strategy for addressing
CEFM,96 the prevalence of child marriages in Palestine is at 24% of all
marriages.97 Although in general CEFM seems to be declining,98 an increase
has been identified in certain areas, particularly parts of Gaza.
Recommendations have been made to the Palestinian Central Bureau of
Statistics (PCBS) to provide an update on CEFM prevalence based on the
raw data, which was obtained as part of the 2019 violence survey. In Gaza,
three out of 10 women were married before the age of 18.99 Poor families
in Access Restricted Areas (such as Khan Younis and Rafah), refugees and
internally displaced people (IDP) are identified as communities where high
rates of child/early marriage have been recorded. Also concerning is the
tendency to prevent married girls from attending school and completing
their education. 100
Lack of access to services (eg. safe shelter, comprehensive case
management, legal aid)
In Gaza, there is a lack of specialized services and qualified, skilled, trained
staff especially to deal with trauma of ongoing violence. Noteworthy is the
persistent gap is safe shelter options for women and girls, including those
with special needs. Currently two centers/shelters provide reintegration
95 Since the amendment of the Personal Status Law on 21 October 2019, the minimum age of
marriage is 18 for all (in West Bank). However, Article 5 allows sharia courts and other religious
authorities to grant exceptions to the minimum age of marriage. In Gaza, the minimum legal age for
marriage remains 17 for girls and 18 for boys. However a girl can marry at the age of 14 if a judge
approves it as being in the child's interest.
96
Wadi, A. (2020), Strategy for addressing CEFM in the West Bank and Gaza.
97 In the Arab region, on average, one in five women are married before the age of 18. See UNFPA
(2019), State of the World Population. Furthermore, in nearly 10% of marriages both spouses are
under the age of 18 years old. See Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its
support to women victims and survivors of GBV and multi-sectoral services
such as GBV case management, psychosocial counselling, legal counselling
and court representation, vocational training and skill development. They
also provide overnight stay. However they are not sufficient to meet
increasing needs and do not operate during emergencies (escalation and
pandemic) as there are no clear contingency plans during emergencies.
They also have restricted admission criteria and do not provide shelter for
all women including people with disabilities and women who were accused
or convicted of any crime.
On access to justice women and girls experience multiple layers of
discrimination and violence due to the Israeli occupation and internal
factors such as religion and tradition. Violation of their rights affect
marriage/divorce, child custody, reproductive health and domestic
violence, access to education, and economic rights, including the right to
decent work and to inherit and control land and other productive resources.
Making the rule of law a reality for women poses challenges at every stage:
from inadequate and gender-biased legal frameworks, to ineffective
implementation of laws and constitutional guarantees; from lack of
accountability/oversight systems to gender-blind budgets and
infrastructures. The justice system often breaks down for women due to
insufficient capacity within the justice and security sectors, discriminatory
attitudes of service providers and lack of consideration about the socio-
political barriers women experience. 10
101
causes and consequences, on her mission to the Occupied Palestinian Territory/State of Palestine,
A/HRC/35/30/Add.2, 8 June 2017, para. 39
98
15% among women aged 20-24 in 2014 and approximately 11% in 2017. See PCBS (2014),
Palestinian Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and PCBS (2017), The Population, Housing and
Establishment Census
99
Compared to two out of ten women in the West Bank. See PCBS (2014), Palestinian Multiple
Indicator Cluster Survey
100
GBV SC and Child Protection AoR, Strategy for Addressing Child/ Early/Forced Marriage in the
West Bank and Gaza, February 2020
101
UN Women Women's Access to Justice Fact Sheet
23View entire presentation