2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Gaza and West Bank slide image

2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Gaza and West Bank

In 2019, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) conducted the latest survey on violence,86 according to which, 29% (married or previously married) women in Gaza between the ages of 18-64 experienced violence in the 12 months preceding the survey. 87 he main coping mechanism remains keeping silent. Better disaggregated data is needed on women and girls with disabilities who are often more vulnerable and at a higher risk of being exposed to all forms of GBV. When it comes to femicide, there are no official statistics on the prevalence and the issue is vastly underreported. However, femicide is increasing. 88 Recent annual reports by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation in the oPt, reports that leniency and biased judicial practice contributes to social acceptance of crimes of femicides. 89 Ongoing violence in Gaza, has had a negative impact on caregivers' ability to meet basic needs of the family, which may lead to GBV, including intimate partner violence and violence against children.⁹0 Forced internal displacement of people further increases the threat of GBV as women and girls outside of their homes are more vulnerable. A study undertaken by UNFPA in 2019 showed that women and girls with disabilities are the most vulnerable to all kinds of violence and higher levels of marginalization.91 Their vulnerability is heightened by limited awareness, low educational attainment and educational exclusion, lack of resources and dependence on others, who may lack adequate support or resources themselves. % of women in Gaza currently married or ever married (18-64 years) who experienced at least one a form of violence by their husbands in the 12 months preceding the survey (2019) Psychological violence 64% Economic violence 55% Social violence 47% Physical violence 26% Sexual violence Cyber 11% Violence (by others) 5% According to a rapid needs assessment by UNFPA, an estimated 10% of women and girls suffer long term disabilities since the May 2021 conflict. Furthermore, 101 women were widowed. An estimated 17,700 women and girls were internally displaced and exposed to increased GBV risks and psychological violence during the escalation the following weeks 92. There has been a rise in calls related to GBV incidents and three gender related killings were reported in the span of one month directly following the end of the escalation. Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable and at risk from all forms of violence and abuse, including sexual assault.93 Furthermore, women who lack or are denied access to legal and social protection services (such as shelters) include those who are already vulnerable such as women with disabilities, women accused of murder or other offences, or those who have involvement with drugs, selling sex or collaboration with Israeli authorities.94 For women LGBTIQ, access is not 86 PCBS (2019), Preliminary results of the violence survey in the Palestinian Society. 87 However, methodological flaws in the PCBS survey have been identified which do not allow for a reliable comparison. Moreover, the survey does not include child, early and forced marriage as a form of GBV 88 WCLAC, "Parallel Follow-up Report Prepared by the Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) and the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Forum to Combat Violence Against Women (Al Muntada)", 2020, p. 6 89 A/HRC/46/63, para. 32 90 Terre des hommes Foundation 2021: Rapid Needs Assessment in the Gaza Strip and West Bank including East Jerusalem 91 UNFPA (2019), Women and girls with disabilities: Needs of survivors of gender-based violence and services offered to them, pp. 5-6. 92 Assessing the urgent needs of women and girls after the May 2021 offensive in Gaza, UNFPA 2021 93 Zakaria Alsallout and Abeer Joma'a 2021: Gender based violence and disability inclusion 94 Gender Justice Report, p. 14. 22
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