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Palestinian Women Face Violence, Discrimination

Lana Shehadeh writes from Ramallah on the discrimination and violence women face in Palestinian society.
Palestinians gesture during a demonstration to mark International Women's Day in the West Bank village of Burin near Nablus March 8, 2011. The banner reads in Arabic: "The general union of Palestinian women marks Women's Day. No to occupation. Yes to the right of return (for refugees). Yes for unity" (refering to the split between Hamas and the Fatah movement). REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2JM4M

Women in the Palestinian territories make up almost half of the population. They hold a significant amount of high-ranked positions in the labor force. And they are considered among the most educated women in the Arab world.

Yet, with all of these advances; Palestinian women still experience a significant amount of discrimination within the society. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 37% of Palestinian women have experienced some form of violence by their husbands in 2011.

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