UN says "Great Return March" increases abuse of women in Gaza

The United Nations Population Fund has written a report about the dangers to Gaza women as a result of the "Great Return March."

The report proves that Palestinian society is pretty sick.

The report identifies four groups of Gaza women who are negatively impacted by the riots.

Mothers with injured children  reported increased gender-based violence, especially psychological/emotional violence as mothers were often blamed by their husbands and other family members for ‘allowing’ their children to participate. 

So - Gaza women can be beaten for allowing their children to go to a march, or pretty much anything else.

 Women whose husbands have been killed or injured during the demonstrations are expected to meet the financial needs of the family, which is difficult in a situation with a high unemployment rate. Moreover, widows and wives who were subjected to forced child marriage often do not have proper education, which makes the job search even more difficult. 

Oh, by the way, a significant number of Palestinian women are child brides.

Widowed women are in higher risk of immediate psychological/emotional and economic violence by family members, as some are expected to re-marry, potentially with a brother of the former husband. Additionally, the family of the late husband will often take control over the finances. 83.7 percent of the males killed are between the age of 18-39, which means that many of the women left behind are around the age of thirty, and, therefore, still perceived by society to be able to remarry, thereby risking the custody of their children. 

Oh, by the way, many Palestinian women are treated like they have no rights whatsoever. They cannot decide what is best for their families even after the death of their husbands.

Girl children who lost a father or who are expected to have a father with disability are in increased risk of forced child marriage due to reduced income as the father/husband is usually the breadwinner of the family. Marrying off daughters is perceived as a protection mechanism to ensure the livelihood of girl children. In reality, it turns out to be a negative copying mechanism.

And it is not only adult Palestinian women who are treated like garbage, but girls as well.

The report pretty much says that as much as Gaza women's lives already were terrible where they are forced to do whatever their husbands or husband's family says, the riots can make their lives even worse.

But who is actually talking about how bad their lives are to begin with? No that is a taboo topic, because if Israel cannot be blamed for how misogynist Palestinian society is, then the media and world is simply not interested.

(h/t G)

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