Women's Affairs Center-Gaza has conducted six community meetings to introduce the project's activities "Improving access to safe and inclusive life-saving GBV
specialized services for most vulnerable conflict-affected women and girls GBV survivors in hotspots of KhanYounis and Middle Area Governorates." This project is funded by OCHA in collaboration with Al-Manal Association, Women's Charitable Program Center Society al-Daraj , Al-Ferdaus Association for Woman and Child,
The meetings targeted approximately 170 individuals, including representatives from civil society organizations, human rights activists, media personnel, service providers, community leaders, and individuals with disabilities, as well as 65 young men and women.
These community meetings were to introduce stakeholders to the project's activities, goals, expected outcomes, and the various services it offers, including legal services, social and psychological support, and case management.
Project coordinator Shireen Rabee emphasized that the meetings aimed to provide comprehensive insight into the project's scope, timeline, eligibility criteria, and its operational framework throughout the year.
The center's lawyer highlighted the legal clinic's background, its historical record, and the key services it provides, including free representation in courts. She explained how the clinic collaborates with decision-makers to overcome challenges, the standards for operating within the legal clinic, the reasons behind the increase in cases, and some of the notable success stories in reclaiming women's rights, such as alimony, visitation, custody, and divorce.
Furthermore, The project case manager provided an in-depth overview of the psychosocial support services offered, which are designed to assist women and girls who have survived gender-based violence. This approach is the most effective way to understand the challenges of women, their nature, and how to address them, as it helps identify the most critical cases and understand their problems from different perspectives. Psychosocial interventions empower women to make informed decisions, adopt a more conscious approach to their lives and challenges, and increase their awareness of their rights and family responsibilities. The services include individual and group counseling, psychological consultations, spousal support, and family guidance.
Case management services begin with receiving and registering the case, gathering information, and ensuring complete confidentiality, emphasizing the humanitarian nature of the work and the individual's right to respect and access to all project services. This is followed by an assessment step to determine the level of risk and identify the needs of the case, after which an intervention plan is developed in collaboration with the case and tailored to their situation, followed by continuous monitoring.