Re-integration of women survivors of gender-based violence: combating violence against women in Palestinian society

Abstract

In recent times, feminists, women’s organizations, governments, and international donors and organizations have focused attention on addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and means to protect women from violence. The re-integration of women survivors of violence was not given serious consideration by these organizations until the late 1990s, but re-integration is now a new field addressed academically and practically in Palestinian society. This is the first study of its kind on the re-integration of women survivors of violence in the Palestinian context. The aim of this study is to define the concept of re-integration and its strategic implementation from the perspective of women survivors in Palestinian society. It focuses on experiences and stories of re-integration, alongside the perceptions of service providers engaged in combating violence. The study starts by explaining that violence is a global phenomenon that assumes political, social and economic forms, intersecting with other existing power relations in society such as class, nationalism, ethnicity (as a social structure), and gender. Consequently, the causes of violence and its manifestations can vary from one economic, political, and social context to another. GBV lies within a broader and more comprehensive context in society. Women experience GBV in different forms and at different levels according to the social, economic, political and cultural contexts within existing power structures and relationships. Accordingly, the phenomenon of GBV can only be tackled once the causes that produce violence are taken into consideration through an analysis of programs and policies designed to combat GBV. The issue of how to re-integrate victims of dangerous cases of violence in the context of their local communities, particularly those who sought refuge in shelters must be addressed.