This program is being carried out in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry for Education and Higher Education, UNRWA, and private schools in Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, and Jenin. It began in 2005 with the main goal of raising awareness in children and adolescents of both sexes about sexual educa.
This program is being carried out in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry for Education and Higher Education, UNRWA, and private schools in Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, and Jenin. It began in 2005 with the main goal of raising awareness in children and adolescents of both sexes about sexual education; and protection from violence through the use of life skills. At the same time, through the awareness raising activities of the centre, both parents and local communities have become aware of the prevalence of sexual violence towards children and teenagers from both sexes; of how to address it; and how to help victims.
This program was developed on the basis of 3 studies published by the centre. The results of these studies confirmed that the prevalence of sexual harassment towards children and adolescents from both sexes exists in the Palestinian society, just like any other society. It also identifies that the reason behind the spread of this phenomena is due to the ignorance and fear of the victims as well as the cultural stigma associated with addressing this issue.
The centre developed, and still is developing, a strategy and actions to achieve the goals of this program. This is done through developing partnerships and institutionalizing this program in schools and local organizations, especially those that also address youth and children from both sexes. With the help of partner organizations, the centre also worked on developing specific legal reform recommendations that aim at addressing the prevalence of sexual violence through legalizing penalties on sexual violence perpetrators toward children and adolescents from both sexes. This was included in the draft Palestinian penal code proposal.
Since the beginning of the program, the centre ensured the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, UNRWA, and other local organizations concerned with this issue. In addition, the centre cooperated with specialists in the field of sexual education and social service in order to institutionalize the program and disseminate the knowledge and experience.
