Report: Palestinian women victims of violence

Rape, other abuse widespread in territories, Human Rights Watch says

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updated 7:00 p.m. ET Nov. 6, 2006

RAMALLAH, West Bank - A new report presents an alarming picture of the abuse of women in the Palestinian territories, with police, courts and government agencies failing to treat violence such as rape and beatings as a crime.

Human Rights Watch cited practices such as rape victims being forced to marry assailants and light sentences for men who kill female relatives suspected of adultery. In a report released Tuesday, the rights group said families, tribal leaders and authorities, backed by tradition and discriminatory laws, often sacrifice victims’ interests for “family honor.”

And the problem is getting worse with growing poverty and lawlessness in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the New York-based group said.

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The report comes about a year after a Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics survey of more than 4,000 households found 23 percent of women said they experienced domestic violence, but only 1 percent had filed a complaint. Two-thirds said they were subjected to psychological abuse at home.

Leaders urged to press for change
Human Rights Watch urged the Palestinian president, parliament and government ministries to make protection of women a top priority. It said more can be done despite the conflict with Israel and the cash crisis in the Palestinian Authority brought on by the rise to power of the Islamic militant group Hamas.

“The main failing of the system is the failure to treat violence against women as a crime and to address it accordingly,” researcher Lucy Mair said. “We want to say you can take some positive steps and it’s imperative to provide protection to more women.”

Mair said Human Rights Watch studied the Palestinian territories — rather than investigating abuses in other traditional societies — because some Palestinian officials had signaled they were ready for change.

No Hamas-Abbas accord on new government

“This made us optimistic we have something to work with,” she said.

Commenting on the report, Adnan Amr, a legal adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas, agreed Palestinian authorities are “weak” in enforcing the law, but blamed “the security and political situation we have been through over the past two years.”

“All Palestinians, not only women, are paying a heavy price for the chaos,” Amr said, referring to struggles between rival Palestinian groups.

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