Category Archives: Uncategorized

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center sends its solidarity greetings to women workers and unionists and their allies in Palestine and worldwide. We salute your collective strength and resolution to advancing women’s rights in increasingly hostile contexts. We recognize and acknowledge the courage, resilience and resourcefulness of hundreds of millions of women seeking to earn a living and ensure the survival of their families, while exposed to bombings and shootings, State-sanctioned violence and repression, displacement, ethnic cleansing and all other forms of oppression and erasure. On this special occasion, we would like to express our deep admiration for and solidarity with UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who is facing crippling US sanctions and continuous defamation campaigns for speaking truth to power, and doing what her mandate requires, which is investigating and reporting about “Israel’s violations of the principles and bases of international law, international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967.”

We call upon all feminist organizations and networks, including feminist unions, to strengthen their solidarity and cooperation locally and globally to address the immense challenges imposed on us by repeated attacks on the international rules-based order, wars of aggression, the spread of authoritarian and far-right regimes curbing basic liberties, corporate capture, and the multiplication of blatant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law of an unprecedent scale, which put us all at risk. With our sisters and brothers worldwide, we renew our commitment to work on building a world of peace and justice and equity, free from gender-based and all other forms of violence, discrimination, and exclusion.

In the past two years and a half, Palestinian women have faced some of the worst circumstances imposed on humans in most recent history, including being attacked, killed, and detained because of their work, and being exposed to crimes of torture and inhuman treatment, as well as all forms of sexual violence. In the Gaza Strip, women have been struggling to regain jobs and rebuild sources of livelihoods in the rubble of their former homes, businesses, neighborhoods and cities, where over 80% of all structures have been destroyed, and early recovery still has to begin. Concentrated in less than half of the Gaza Strip area, 2.1 million Palestinians – half of them women and girls – have no access to former agricultural lands, fish-rich waters, no electricity, no running water and sanitation, and the vast majority have to live in tents and makeshift shelters. Access to goods and commodities, including essential humanitarian aid, continues to be severely restricted by the Israeli occupying power.

In the West Bank, unprecedented Israeli army and settlers’ violence causing constant insecurity, and collective punishment measures that led to spiking unemployment and poverty – including about a thousand obstacles to movement (armed and unarmed military checkpoints, metal gates, and other roadblocks) – have made it more difficult for women to gain and retain a job or run a business. Hence, women’s labor market participation has remained extremely low, reaching 18.6%, compared to 71.5% for men at the end of 2025, according to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Available data also indicates that a large proportion of women workers experience unstable working conditions. The majority of women are employed in the private sector, where approximately 66% of female workers are concentrated, yet only about 25% hold formal employment contracts, reflecting the fragility of the legal and social protections available to many working women. Employment prospects of young women remain extremely bleak. The unemployment rate among young female graduates aged 19–29 with a diploma or higher was 44.5%. Brutal and destructive Israeli military operations have further exacerbated the situation of women workers in certain areas. The large-scale displacement of families from the Nur Shams, Tulkarem and Jenin refugee camps in 2025 has caused the combined loss of homes, security and workplaces for many of them. Unemployment has also been significantly higher among refugee women, reaching 33%, compared to 24.8% among non-refugee women.

Regarding social protection, the proportion of wage-earning women receiving paid maternity leave declined to 47.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025. In the absence of comprehensive labor law reform or the adoption of a social security law, paid maternity leave in the private sector remains limited to only 10 weeks. This falls short of the minimum standard of 14 weeks set out in the ILO Maternity Protection Convention No. 183.

These challenges are further compounded by the deterioration of essential services, including healthcare, which places pregnant and breastfeeding women at heightened risk. In many cases, women have been compelled to assume additional responsibilities in supporting their families and securing basic needs, alongside growing indications of gender-based violence. At the same time, some women’s organizations face operational constraints due to declining funding dedicated to programs supporting women, with several institutions now operating only partially.

The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Centre emphasizes that women’s economic empowerment and the protection of their labor rights are fundamental to achieving social justice and sustainable recovery. DWRC therefore calls on relevant authorities and decision-makers to take serious steps to strengthen legal protections for women workers, expand opportunities for decent work for women, and ensure the effective implementation of labor legislation in line with international labor standards. Protecting rights and ensuring women’s equitable participation as decision-makers and beneficiaries should be an integral part of all recovery and reconstruction plans. DWRC also calls on its international partners and fellow labor movement organizations to continue advocating for and taking concrete actions for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and in support and solidarity with Palestinian women. More than ever, we need to continue joining forces and mobilizing for achieving our collective liberation.

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem for their continued support of this important initiative. Together, we will continue to work towards creating a brighter, more hopeful future for the children of Gaza and their families.

On the World Day Against Child Labour, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center launches an urgent appeal to save the children of Gaza from bombings, hunger, and being forced to work in occupations and conditions incompatible with their age and well-being

On the World Day Against Child Labour, DWRC denounces Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children as one of the most comprehensive violations of children’s rights in modern times. Under the yoke of Israeli occupation and blockade, children have been transformed from students carrying books into laborers burdened with unbearable responsibilities. In the besieged destroyed Gaza Strip and the oppressed West Bank, work is not a “choice” but a sole means of survival for thousands of children.

Devastating figures indicate:

• An 80% increase in child labor since the escalation of the Israeli aggression, according to international reports.
• 39,000 orphans in Gaza, including 17,000 who have lost both parents, now act as providers for their families at ages not exceeding ten.
• 79.1% unemployment rate in Gaza, with the Palestinian economy collapsing by 33%, pushing families to send their children into the labor market.
• 111 public schools completely destroyed and 241 severely damaged and 89 schools belonging to UNRWA bombed and sabotaged in Gaza, depriving 700,000 students of education, while students in the West Bank face arrests and settler assaults at school gates.

Our teams in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have observed a sharp rise in the number of working children, a phenomenon that has become increasingly widespread following the destruction of numerous schools in Gaza and the closure of others in the West Bank due to ongoing Israeli raids on northern governorates such as Jenin and Tulkarem.

News agencies highlighted the situation of some of the affected children, such as Mohammed Al-Yazji (14 years old), who supports his six siblings, including an infant, after the killing of his mother and the loss of his father. He searches daily for food among the rubble. Meanwhile, Yahya Ashour (13 years old) sells coffee on the streets of Gaza City to support 16 family members. The situation is particularly dangerous in the Gaza Strip due constant bombings and shootings by the Israeli occupation army and the presence of unexploded ordnance and hazardous remnants in many areas, endangering civilian lives. Thus, we direct an urgent appeal to the United Nations and the international community:

· Take all necessary enforce an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and provide protection to the Palestinian people

· Hold the Israeli occupying Power accountable for its extremely grave violations of international humanitarian and human right law, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide through its systematic destruction of all the elements necessary for life in the Gaza Strip, use of starvation as a weapon of war and indiscriminate and deliberate targeting of civilians, creating unbearable conditions that force children into labor, including its worst forms.

· Lift the blockade on Gaza immediately and provide urgent support for rebuilding schools and the infrastructure, including economic establishments.

We also call on the Palestinian government and civil society to:

· Strengthen social protection networks for orphans and displaced families.

· Provide alternative educational solutions in besieged areas.

· Provide remedial programs for children forced into labor

Enough!

Children should not be forced to work under bombardment. They should not have to bear the responsibility of providing for themselves and their siblings, because their parents have been killed, are missing or are no longer able to work. Schools should not be routinely turned into rubble and child casualties become mere statistics. Palestinian children are entitled to a future, they deserve to be able to play, dream, learn and make plans for when they grow up like other children around the world.

Gaza

Amid the ongoing tight siege and continuous aggression on Gaza, and the escalating humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian families, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Centre in Palestine (DWRC) has successfully delivered urgent support to displaced families and workers’ households in the Gaza Strip through its Emergency Support Project for Palestinian Workers and Their Families.

As part of this effort, the centre distributed 490 fresh vegetable packages to families across northern Gaza, Gaza City, the central governorates, and the south. Of these, 230 packages were delivered in northern Gaza and Gaza City, while 260 were distributed in the central and southern governorates. This initiative aims to meet the essential nutritional needs of affected families amid severe shortages and soaring prices of fresh vegetables, which have significantly impacted food security.

The food assistance seeks to alleviate malnutrition caused by the heavy reliance on canned and stored foods. The vegetable packages include a variety of basic fresh vegetables that help improve the health and nutrition of the beneficiary families.

This project is generously supported by the “Misereor” organization as part of the centre’s ongoing efforts to ease the suffering of the population and bolster the resilience of workers and their families during these challenging times. The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Centre remains committed to standing with the most vulnerable groups by providing necessary aid to confront the repercussions of the siege and conflict, contributing to restoring their dignity and stability.

The training opened with an introductory activity to introduce the training objectives, get to know the participants’ goals, and outline the expected outcomes. An initial assessment of participants’ knowledge was also conducted to help measure progress achieved through the training.

The first day focused on presenting the provisions of the Palestinian Labor Law applicable to workers, through group work discussing work conditions such as leave policies, wages, employment contracts, termination regulations, and identifying the official bodies to which workers can refer in case of violations of their rights.



The second day continued with brainstorming and discussions around the concept of occupational health and safety in the workplace. Participants identified occupational risks in various sectors, reviewed examples of workplace injuries and how they are addressed and learned about compensation mechanisms through practical exercises. Group work also addressed the decree-law on occupational health and safety supervisors, emphasizing the role and importance of forming occupational health and safety committees in workplaces and the role of trade unions across different sectors.

The third and final day introduced the concept of violence as defined in International Convention No. 190. Participants identified types of violence experienced in work environments, discussed relevant examples, reviewed the articles of ILO Convention 190, and explored the categories it covers. The session also linked occupational health and safety to issues of workplace violence and harassment, highlighting the importance of preventive measures. A selection of short educational videos on Convention 190 and workplace violence and harassment were presented to raise awareness among participants in their respective sectors.

This training is part of a series of workshops conducted by the center under the project “Contributing to Gender Justice and Human Rights for Women in the Middle East,” in partnership with the Peace and Solidarity Foundation of the CCOO Trade Union in Catalonia, with support from the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.
The training was facilitated by the centre’s legal advisor, Ms. Samah Fraikhneh from the Legal Unit, and Ms. Amina Al-Omari from the Culture and Training Unit at the centre.

Fundació Pau i Solidaritat CCOO de Catalunya

Carine Metz, Program Coordinator at the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, stated that the meeting aimed to empower members of the “My Right” National Coalition by providing knowledge and direct exposure to governmental programs that serve target groups, and by building relationships with various ministries. She emphasized the need to leverage all adopted programs and policies to enhance and provide job opportunities for women and people with disabilities, especially in areas facing forced displacement.

Ameen Assi, Director of Planning and Studies at the Ministry of Planning, highlighted that the ministry is working to attract projects that consider the rights of marginalized groups and is coordinating with various institutions based on the needs of these groups. He also noted that the ministry is developing legislation for public-private partnerships, which will benefit disadvantaged communities. Assi added that the Ministry’s policies include aspects of relief and emergency response, psychosocial rehabilitation, support for mental health programs, small enterprise development, and a focus on vocational and technical training.

Rami Mahdawi, Assistant Undersecretary for Funding and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Labor, emphasized the importance of unified efforts and joint action among public, private, and civil society sectors. He called for the establishment of a unified database to support the design of programs and projects that serve the public—particularly women and people with disabilities. He noted that the Ministry of Labor monitors the implementation of the legal requirement for employing people with disabilities at a rate of no less than 5%. The ministry also provides zero-interest loans for women-led small enterprises through the Employment Fund and the Cooperative Work Agency.

Buthaina Salem, Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, explained that the ministry works from the perspective of women’s citizenship, not as a matter of aid. She emphasized the ministry’s collaboration with local and international institutions to develop laws and policies that ensure justice, prevention, and protection for women. She affirmed that the economic empowerment of women and girls is a priority that requires budget allocation and the integration of women, particularly those with disabilities, into the labor market. The ministry is also reviewing social policies, encouraging labor market participation, and fostering a decent work environment for women.

Abbas Diab, Director of the Rehabilitation Department at the Ministry of Social Development, outlined the ministry’s efforts to provide care and protection for vulnerable and marginalized groups, particularly people with disabilities. These efforts include: the President’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities; the drafting of modern legislation aligned with the Convention; the adoption of a comprehensive health system by the Council of Ministers; the national referral system for protecting women, including women with disabilities; customs exemptions for vehicles used by people with mobility impairments; the development of an emergency response plan for people with disabilities; and the provision of economic empowerment projects, grants for small enterprise development, and professional development programs.

Mousa Salameh, representative of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that following amendments to the Chambers’ Law, small and micro-enterprises, including those run by people with disabilities, can now be registered. He noted improvements in training services aimed at empowering women and enhancing their capacities to launch and grow small businesses. The chambers have also shifted toward vocational and technical training in line with labor market needs and launched the “Monshati” platform, which offers advisory services and online training—facilitating women’s access to services and financing opportunities for small enterprises.

Majd Shtaywi, representative of the Palestinian Employment Fund, stated that the fund operates three main programs: temporary and wage-based employment, support for small businesses and entrepreneurial ideas, and emergency interventions. She emphasized that these projects primarily target women and people with disabilities and include interest-free loans tailored to their needs.

Qalqilya – 24/05/2025

The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center (DWRC) organized awareness sessions in the city of Qalqilya, emphasizing the importance of the Center’s independence and democratic approach in its operations and decision-making processes—free from external interference. The sessions also highlighted the Center’s vital role in defending workers’ rights, advocating for their protection, and serving as a mediator between workers and employers or responsible authorities.

In coordination with the Qalqilya Sports Club, the second session was held under the title “Combating Violence and Discrimination in the Workplace,” with the participation of 27 youth activists and workers from various sectors, as well as members of the Club’s administrative board.

The session addressed the definition and types of violence, their impact on male and female workers across different workplaces and sectors, and the importance of creating a safe and respectful work environment to ensure proper workflow. It also stressed the need for workplaces to adopt strict policies to combat such practices and to ensure a safe and secure environment for all.

These sessions are part of a series of activities implemented by the Center to raise awareness among workers in all sectors. The sessions were supervised and facilitated by Omar Al-Taqaz and Amina Al-Omari from the Culture and Training Unit.

Gaza – On 8/08/2024, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center held a workshop at PNGO office in central Gaza to discuss a field study on “Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work, and the Effects of Israel’s War on Women’s Exposure to Violence & Harassment in the Gaza Strip since October 2023″ conducted by researcher Louay Joudeh for DWRC. The workshop was attended by 35 participants in presence and online. The field study was conducted with two different samples to capture the situation in workplaces in the Gaza Strip before the start of the war, and the various forms of violence to which women have been exposed since October 7, 2023. The first sample included 203 women in employment before the war in the public sector, the private and non-governmental organizations’ sector, UNRWA, women business owners, self-employed women, and those working in family businesses without financial compensation. The second sample included 200 women, who had been in employment before the war or without employment. Both samples included women with disabilities. The researcher also conducted interviews and focus group meetings to complement the quantitative data.

The study findings indicated that 56.2% of the sample of women in employment before the war experienced violence from a work supervisor or a colleague or another person in the framework of their work before the war. The most common forms of violence women were exposed to were verbal violence (47.4%), followed by economic violence (30.7%) and electronic violence (17.5%), while 4.4% indicated that they were subjected to physical violence. More than half of working women in this sample (64%) said that there are deterrent policies against perpetrators of violence and harassment in the workplace, and 60.8% of them that they are implemented with well-studied and deterrent mechanisms. 30.5% of surveyed working women do not have psychological, physical, material and electronic well-being, organized offices, separate bathrooms and privacy in the workplace. 62.5% of workers surveyed lost their jobs due to the war and its effects, and 81.5% said they have not received any cash assistance and have not participated in livelihood programs during the war. 83.8% of the women workers in the sample used to earn less than the Palestinian minimum wage of 1880 shekels per month.

93% of the women in the second study sample have been displaced. The vast majority have obtained no services: 80.5% said they received no health services or women hygiene products (none said they do not need them), 91% that they obtained no psychological support services, and 83.5% that they received no legal services. 78% declared there are no safe spaces for women where they have been displaced. 64% of the women surveyed have been exposed to violence in shelters, workplaces, and when receiving aid and other services since the start of the war on Gaza. Half of them experienced verbal violence, 35.8% economic violence, 8.8% physical violence and harassment, and 5.4% electronic violence. Most of them have been subjected to this violence continuously (70.3%). 62% said there were no mechanisms to submit complaints against perpetrators of violence, and 26% said they did not know if there were any such mechanisms. Only 11.7% have submitted complaints against perpetrators of violence and/or harassment, and less than half were satisfied with the outcome (40%). 85.5% of women feel uncomfortable (psychologically, physically, and financially) and face the lack of a sufficient number of separate bathrooms and privacy, where they have been displaced. 93.5% said there is an insufficient number of bathrooms and 72% that there were no specific bathrooms for women.

Findings also indicated that 75.5% of the women surveyed in the second study sample have been exposed to violence by the Israeli occupying power since the war has started. Women were exposed to multiple forms of violence; 95.3% had their homes destroyed, 62.3% lost children and relatives, 62.3% lost their jobs, 49.7% were subjected to ill-treatment by the Israeli occupation, 35.9% were injured, 14.6% were exposed to other forms of violence (psychological violence due to communications from the Israeli occupation, physical violence, deprivation from medical care and food), and 13.2% were detained.

A first set of recommendations concerns steps needed to improve women’s situation in the world of work and address violence and harassment. Such steps include activating workplace policies and holding perpetrators of violence accountable, having effective complaints mechanisms, and ensuring the implementation of the minimum wage in the Gaza Strip. All women, who have lost their jobs or means of earning an income due to the war, should be financially compensated for the loss of their source of livelihood to ensure their right to live in dignity. A second set of recommendations concerns steps for protecting women from heightened levels of violence since the war started; these include intensifying efforts to ensure that women have access to basic services and amenities, developing protection mechanisms and encouraging women to lodge complaints. The study also mentioned the importance of filing complaints at the international level against the Israeli occupying power, which has perpetrated multiple forms of violence against Palestinian women, and seeking compensation for the victims.

This study is part of the project for “Contributing to Gender Justice and Women’s Human Rights in the Middle East” implemented in partnership with Fundació Pau i Solidaritat – CCOO Catalunya and funded by the Government of Catalonia and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.

The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center and the National Coalition for Advocating for Women’s Right to Decent Work “Min Haqqi” discuss the challenging situation of working women in the Jericho and Jordan Valley Governorate and perspectives for protection

Jericho: After the war started, women’s economic sufferings have doubled, unemployment rates among them increased, and many of their projects were shut down, leading to difficult economic conditions for them and their families. Therefore, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center held a meeting on Tuesday May 13th in the Jericho and Jordan Valley governorate, with the participation of the Governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, Dr. Hussein Hamaileh, women workers, and representatives from the Ministry of Labor, the Employment Fund, and civil society institutions.

The meeting discussed the situation of working women in times of crises under the title: “Challenges and Perspectives for Protection,” in partnership with the National Coalition “Min Haqqi” (“My Right”) as part of the “Partners for Equity, Partners for Change” project, supported by the European Union.

The meeting resulted in several recommendations, most notably the establishment of a vocational training center for women in the governorate, supporting small women-led projects, providing job opportunities for women in the private sector, facilitating their access to funding for their small businesses, publishing employment, training, and funding announcements on social media platforms to reach the largest number of women, in addition to organizing informational meetings with women’s associations, and the need to hold meetings with factory and business owners to urge them to employ women in their workplaces.

Carine Metz, Programs Coordinator at the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, said during the meeting that the Center works on advocacy and networking to unify efforts in support of women’s economic rights, and that this meeting aims to promote decent job opportunities and income for women and persons with disabilities, and to enhance the local economy to benefit Palestinian families.

For his part, the Governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, Dr. Hussein Hamaileh, expressed his commitment to follow up on all the issues raised by women, help them obtain small projects, and raise their recommendations to the Council of Ministers to act upon them. Regarding the employment of women in settlements, Hamaileh stated that work in settlements is legally rejected as the settlements are illegal, but the needs of the citizens are great and the situation is difficult, with a financial blockade imposed on the Palestinian people. Therefore, efforts are being made to provide citizens’ basic needs.

Muyasser Waqad, Executive Director of the Ain Sultan Camp Women’s Association, stated that the “Min Haqqi” Coalition aims to promote equality in economic and social rights for women, especially women with disabilities, as women do not receive their full labor rights and are not paid high wages. She pointed out that many women were dismissed from work after the war started, their projects were closed, and they lost their labor rights. She added: “We have many needs, and if even some of them were met, the economic reality for women would be better.”

Mohammed Qabaha, Director of the Labor Directorate in the Jericho and Jordan Valley Governorate, explained that the Ministry has several projects to support and economically empower women, including the “Bader” project, which targets women working in Israel or in Israeli settlements, who were affected after the war started. The project offers zero-interest loans for small businesses, in addition to other projects aimed at enhancing women’s vocational skills. He pointed out that the Labor Directorate has inspectors, who monitor the implementation of the labor law in workplaces, and legal action has been taken against some employers through warnings, notices, or closure of their establishments.

He noted that women working in settlements are exposed to injustice and exploitation by brokers, particularly due to long working hours that exceed 10 hours per day.

Ihab Zaghl, representative of the Employment Fund, said that the Fund publishes announcements about employment and financing projects on social media to reach more women, and also assists women in registration and data entry when applying for projects. The Fund also provides vocational training programs for women.

Adly Hanayseh, Project Coordinator at the Ma’an Development Center, emphasized the need to launch investment projects to employ women in the Jericho and Jordan Valley region. He pointed out that the “Ma’an” Center implements projects related to women’s economic empowerment and recently provided 25 grants for women-led projects worth $10,000 each, in addition to supporting three agricultural projects for women, who had been previously working in Israeli settlements.