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Gaza’s female mediators stand up for women’s rights

Gazans are resorting to female mediators who achieved significant progress in the social reform field; however, these mediators still lack official and government support.
A Palestinian woman holds an umbrella to cover herself from rain as she makes her way to fill containers with water in Shejaia neighborhood, that witnesses said was devastated during a seven-week Israeli offensive, in the east of Gaza City October 19, 2014.  An open-ended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Gaza militants, mediated by Egypt, took effect on August 26 after a seven-week conflict. It called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza's blockaded crossings with Israe

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Women in Palestinian society are ashamed to discuss their problems with the male elders in charge of mediation committees. However, today, things have become easier for women, as the first female mediators have pushed forward social reform and now defend women's rights in tribal councils headed by men. Gazans go to these councils to settle their family problems and avoid going to court, where the resolution process is much longer and complicated.

Over the past couple of years, female mediators have increasingly emerged in the Gaza Strip. Some inherited the profession from their fathers and grandfathers, while others possessed innate wisdom and statesmanship. After training, they joined Gaza's mediation committees, where citizens often take their issues instead of to the judiciary or police. Female mediators are often asked to intervene to solve problems within a family, such as settling a dispute between a husband and his wife.

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