Women demand protection under law

Dozens of women protested Tuesday ouside Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s Ramallah office demanding the adaptation for laws that would protect them against violence and crime. Woman’s Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) member, Lubna Ashqar, told Wafa that they want a law that “can ensure dignity and justice for all the women of Palestine.” She said the protest, which was held by the Palestinian NGO Forum for the Elimination of Violence against Women, demanded from President Mahmoud Abbas and lawmakers to include deterrent penalties in a new law that would provide protection for all Palestinian women. She recalled that at least four women in Palestine had been killed for “honor reasons” since the beginning of this year, adding that the society's perspective here tends to blame the women as the reason, not as the victim. “Women participation in these protests is shy because of the absence of awareness among Palestinian women and the failure of some institutions to reach out to the women to inform them of their rights,” she added.