Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Women in Gaza: Culture Matters

The Jerusalem Post reporting:
The vast majority of women in Gaza face violence of varying types, a new survey has found.

The study, by the Gaza-based Palestinian Women's Information and Media Center, found that violence against women in Gaza has increased since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in the June 2007 coup and Israel subsequently imposed restrictions on the coastal enclave.

The study found that 77.1% of Gazan women have experienced violence of various sorts, with almost half experiencing violence of more than one type.

A quarter of the women said they do not feel safe in their own homes because of violence and more than a third said they were unable to fight back as they had more urgent priorities to deal with.

67% of the women surveyed said they had encountered verbal violence, 71% mental violence, 52% physical violence and more than 14% sexual violence.
The Post journalist leans over backwards to emphasize that a poor economy is a contributing factor in this violence, which I'm sure it is. But would the same level of economic distress produce the same level of misogyny and violence in, say, North Brookfield, Massachusetts where I live. Let me assure you it wouldn't.

Huda Hamouda, Director of the PWIC was quoted as saying: "laws to combat violence against women were lax and contributed to a culture of impunity for perpetrators, especially in relation to honor killings."
Honor killings are cases in which women accused of bringing dishonor to the family are killed by relatives. Killings often involve women suspected of fraternizing with men who are not their husbands or relatives.
Multiculturalists please call your office.

Full story: here.
Hat Tip: Jihad Watch

No comments: