Decades of occupation and militarisation, periodic escalations of hostilities and Israeli policies of blockade, segregation and control contrary to international humanitarian and human rights law have had severe consequences on the Palestinian population and have specifically and multifacetedly affected the lives of Palestinian women. Their experiences of occupation and conflict have also been shaped by unequal gender relations in Palestinian society, which determine specific vulnerabilities, limitations in the exercise of rights and inequalities in access to resources and opportunities due to stereotypes and expectations regarding the roles of men and women.

This report illustrates the diversity of violence experienced by Palestinian women and its impacts, taking into account the impact on them of the various policies of the Israeli occupation and the norms of a patriarchal society in which discrimination and worrying manifestations of gender-based violence persist.

This guide is the companion to another report entitled Gender/Women, peace and security: implementation, challengesand limits in Palestine. Both publications have been issued as part of the project “Involving the whole communityin the fight against sexist violence and the guarantee of sexual and reproductive rights of Palestinian women inHebron, Qalqilia and Tubas (West Bank, Palestine)”, led by Associació HÈLIA and funded by the Catalan Agency forDevelopment Cooperation (ACCD).