Ramallah – The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) conducted a training course at Caesar Hotel-Ramallah on “Internal Legal Procedures for the Family and Juvenile Protection Unit in the Context of Palestinian Laws and International Conventions”. This comes as part of the project “Strengthening Women’s Access to Justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” with funding from UN Women, through Sawasya (the UN Women/UNDP joint program – Strengthening the Rule of Law: Justice and Security for the Palestinian People 2014-2017).
The 3-day training was conducted by Ms. Haleema Abu-Sulb, averaging 20 training hours, and targeting 20 members of the Family and Juvenile Protection Unit from all West Bank governorates.
The training aimed at increasing the knowledge of participants on the internal procedures and regulations of the Family Protection Unit, connecting them to Palestinian laws and international conventions, and strengthening the principles of human rights in general, and women’s rights in particular. In addition to raising the participants’ awareness of how to utilize the human rights system and relevant agreements, CEDAW in particular, when implementing the penal code, the code of criminal procedure, and the family violence protection law. While at the same time, highlighting the special case of battered women, and these laws’ responsiveness to their rights and needs.
The course also increased the knowledge of participants on the rights of battered women, through introducing the human rights system, particularly the agreements related to women’s rights. In addition to the responsiveness of Palestinian laws to their rights and needs, in connection with CEDAW. As well as enriching their knowledge of how to deal with cases of violence against women, and highlighting best practices when dealing with female victims of violence. In addition to raising the participants’ capabilities in dealing with battered women in accordance with international and Palestinian laws.
Project Coordinator, Hana Al-Qaisi noted that the training targeted participants from the Family and Juvenile Protection Unit, in order to raise their awareness and develop their capacities in local laws, particularly in procedures and the role of judiciary police from a gender perspective according to International Human Rights Law, particularly CEDAW and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and connecting them to local laws. In order to make the law in accordance with international conventions and agreements signed by Palestine. As well as focusing on the code of criminal procedures, and the relation between the project for family violence protection and the current reality of battered women, in addition to introducing the national referral system for battered women, and Palestinian Juvenile Law and Child Law.
Participants expressed their gratitude to PWWSD, and recommended conducting even more of these training courses, as they are directly related to the work of the Family Protection Unit. They noted that the course included both theoretical and practical techniques of addressing many topics in a comprehensive way, as well as implementing a number of practical exercises in their field of work.