Gaza - Community Media Center - February 2023

During the year 2023, the Community Media Center (CMC) will intensify its efforts to support and advocate for the issues and rights of women and youth in the field and in the digital space, using the media and social media, and empowering and developing the capabilities of its target groups of women, youth, media professionals, and pioneers of both sexes, and enhancing their practical and digital life skills through its three programmes, the Advocacy Program, the Research and Information Program, and the Empowerment and Capacity Building Program.

CMC focuses on four main themes: enhancing digital literacy efforts in the Gaza Strip, mobilizing society and the media to enhance women’s access to justice and security, promoting a culture of respect for the human rights of women and youth in society, and enhancing participation Civil and political activities for women and youth.

CMC is preparing to launch the "Women’s Voices for Peace and Security" project in partnership with the African Women’s Foundation, where it will work to develop the capabilities of women and young activists and human rights defenders, and hold a series of workshops in universities and schools to raise awareness about the 1325 Convention and the role of women in Promoting security and peace, as well as launching the CMC Club for young filmmakers, producing films about women’s rights and violations against them, as well as developing the skills of female journalists with regard to women’s rights, justice in the community and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in addition to holding intercontinental dialogue sessions and listening sessions with decision makers.

For the third year in a row, the CMC continues to implement the "Our Safe Spaces" project in partnership with the Terre des Hommes Foundation - Switzerland, as it contributes to enhancing community awareness in defending women’s rights and gender equality, in addition to supporting women’s and girls’ access to multi-sectoral services related to gender-based violence, by building the capacities of media professionals, lawyers, and youth, implementing a series of awareness and education workshops in all governorates of the Gaza Strip, preparing a research study on issues of violence against women and mechanisms to combat it and limit its effects, in addition to producing media materials highlight these issues.

On the sidelines of the 8th of March, International Women’s Day, the CMC is preparing to launch a digital advocacy campaign on discrimination and violence against women and girls in the digital space, and to hold an accountability session on the violations against women and human rights defenders. CMC will also work on developing the Masaahatuna application, which was issued on International Women’s Day last year, in an effort to support and facilitate women and girls who are subjected to domestic violence to access the  services provided by institutions operating in the Gaza Strip, and will intensify the campaign to promote the application during this year.

Regarding digital security, CMC accumulates its work in promoting digital literacy efforts in the areas of the Gaza Strip, especially the marginalized ones, for the fourth year in a row within its plans and projects, and investing in the capabilities and skills of young media professionals and lawyers and strengthening their role in creating a secure digital environment in which everyone can enjoy safety and freedom without a breach of privacy or a sense of insecurity.

The Community Media Center intensifies its work improving women’s access to justice and obtaining their rights, contributing to improving society’s awareness of women’s rights and cybercrimes, and enhancing protection for women and youth, in addition to implementing a series of performances in schools for the puppet play "Kalam Reham" that was recently prepared and produced by CMC. Within the project "Mobilizing society and the media to enhance women’s access to justice and security in the Gaza Strip" within the framework of the Sawasiya (2) program.

It is worth noting that this work is a continuation of a journey of more than 15 years undertaken by CMC to overcome all challenges and invest all possible tools and means to develop the role of the media in dealing with societal issues, and to promote the values of democracy, equality and a culture of respect for human rights of women and youth in society, and focus on women and youth issues,highlighting them through various media means within the approach based on human rights.

You can learn about the work of the center during the year 2022, by reviewing the attached report:

https://cmcgaza.ps/ar/?p=9653