Health / Emotional and sexual life - Palestinian Authority - Association

Imams, preachers and community leaders fighting GBV

15.02.2019 / Created by (EMWF)

“Communicate for GBV” is a project implemented by the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The project’s ultimate goal is to raise the community’s awareness on sexual and reproductive rights and health (RHR) as well as Gender Based Violence (GBV).

The project consists of:

  • Mobilizing and training community and religious leaders on RHR, family planning, GBV and youth health, including community networks such as youth volunteers, health districts committees.
  • Outreach activities such as celebrating international women day and contributing to the ‘’16 days of activism to combat GBV’’ global campaign through mock trials aiming at influencing legislators to approve the law on ‘’Family Protection from GBV’’
  • Encouraging imams and preachers to raise their congregations’ awareness regarding issues related to RHR and GBV.

To date, several success stories have been reported within this project. For instance, some of the imams and preachers who were trained on RHR and GBV said that the project provided them with necessary ‘’know-hows’’ to tackle important yet unspoken issues in their sermons. These issues, particularly the ones related to marriage and couples life, were long avoided given their social sensitivity.

Meanwhile, a female preacher from the Waqf Directorate in Nablus said that the capacity building workshops offered her broader knowledge and skills in broaching and raising awareness on social issues related to marital and family relationships in a way that guarantees family stability and social security and reduces domestic violence.

According to one of the community leaders involved in the project, the trainings helped shape his experience and character as a community leader and bolstered his belief in the importance of being knowledgeable about reproductive health in terms of its importance and protection of society.

The project also included the publication of ‘’ The Guide to Reproductive Health and Gender-Based Violence’’ which is addressed to imams, preachers and community leaders.

More information on the project are available in the link below.

Organization

Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy - MIFTAH

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