Women, occupation and Bereavement Program
Women, occupation and Bereavement Program activates the 1325 resolution regarding women in armed conflict, with the procedures needed to face it.
This program was launched in 2001 after the Israeli occupation authorities committed a massacre in the Jenin refugee camp. After this massacre, the WSC’s the board of trustees of woman studies centre discussed possible methods of action and the responsibility of the centre's staff in addressing the continuous violence of the occupation targeting Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps. There has been directed research on how to address this issue. Given the fact that the Palestinian cause is unique in terms of the type and scope of barriers; the violence committed by the Israeli occupation; the epidemic culture in the Palestinian society; and the history of the Palestinian cause, it was important to collect background material to formulate evidence-based support and recommendations. The strategic focus initiated with a collection of stories from women directly suffering from occupation crimes. We also worked with these women to release them from the trauma of emotional, physical and psychological loss including the loss of family members, land, homes, security and source of income. Through these steps, we developed new strategies to work with bereaved women. This program activates the1325 resolution regarding women in armed conflict, with the procedures needed to face it. This program was developed in three phases; Phase I: This phase targeted the concept of "loss", “bereavement” and it's consequences, whether it was the loss of loved ones, land, home, income resource, or security. In addition, in this phase there was a development of strategies to work with the cases in the Palestinian society that resulted from the policies of the Israeli occupation through individual intervention, working with groups, and social awareness concerning how to deal with loss. Phase II: This phase targeted the development of the "Bereaved-to-Bereaved" approach, in order to transform the "bereaved" person from a fragile person to a strong one that is able to create the change, become a leader in the society and provoke change in her community. Phase III: This phase worked on building the skills of women who participated in the program towards by helping them develop skills in management, social organization, and leadership in order to eventually establish their own organizations that would provide their needs. This program is now implemented in the provinces of Nablus, Jenin, and Bethlehem.
