Psychological Counseling and Combating Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Program

Being a feminist organization working in line with international human rights standards, Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD) considers gender-based violence a clear violation of human rights that reinforces inequality, particularly against women and girls. Gender-based violence refers to any harmful act directed at an individual because of their gender, or acts that disproportionately affect women and girls. Such violence includes psychological, physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence, as well as threats, coercion, and restrictions on freedom.

Women and girls in Palestine face multiple and interconnected forms of risks resulting from occupation-related practices and crimes, including repeated military attacks by the Israeli army, settlers’ violence, displacement, and restrictions on freedom of movement imposed through the system of military checkpoints and the apartheid system implemented by the occupying state. Women also suffer from deteriorating economic conditions, as well as the dominance of patriarchal attitudes, customs, and traditions that restrict women’s rights and limit their ability to play their full role in the community.

These factors do not only contribute to increasing the prevalence and severity of violence; they also hinder survivors’ ability to access protection services, justice mechanisms, and other essential support services. Consequently, they limit women survivors’ effective participation in public life and in decision-making processes.

In response to this reality, PWWSD places combating violence against women at the core of its work. Its interventions are guided by international conventions and frameworks, foremost among them the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. The organization’s interventions are also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 3, 5, 10, and 16.

PWWSD adopts a human rights-based approach in its interventions, combining work with individuals and institutions simultaneously. The organization seeks to engage women, girls, youth, local community leaders, and key actors to raise awareness of the risks of violence, promote equality values, and challenge traditional structures that contribute to gender-based violence.

At the same time, the organization works with service providers, social workers, and relevant governmental institutions to strengthen capacities, promote accountability principles, and ensure the provision of services and interventions that respond to the actual needs of women survivors of violence.

The organization also provides direct services to women survivors of violence and women and girls at risk of experiencing gender-based violence. These services include psychological counseling, legal support, case management, and referral services aimed at ensuring protection for the targeted groups.

In delivering these services, the organization adheres to the principles of dignity, safety, confidentiality, and non-discrimination, ensuring that all beneficiaries receive support without any form of discrimination or judgment. PWWSD also works to ensure women’s access to justice mechanisms and accountability for perpetrators of violence.

Building on its extensive experience in addressing gender-related issues within unstable humanitarian contexts, and its continuous readiness to provide direct interventions for women during crises, PWWSD seeks to ensure that emergency services and humanitarian responses take into account the specific needs of women and girls, as well as the particular risks they may face.

In addition, the organization actively engages in advocacy at the local, national, regional, and international levels. Through its advocacy efforts, PWWSD seeks to promote the adoption of laws and policies that protect women, improve available service systems, strengthen women’s access to justice mechanisms, and contribute to eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and girls.