Combating Electronic Violence against Women and Girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ramallah City, West Bank

Women and girls in Palestine suffer high rates of violence due to cultural and institutional barriers. This is not limited to face-to-face violence as electronic violence is on the rise, especially against young women aged 15 to 22. Electronic violence includes harassment, threats, and use of degrading images, as well as identity theft. According to the United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development, 73% of women are abused online. This project focuses on the abuse happening to young women in Palestine. It takes a multi-level approach of awareness raising, education, and lobbying for legal change to help victims and potential victims and to increase awareness of the issue in society as a whole. The project will use online platforms, flash mobs, and traditional media to increase awareness. Education and victim counseling will take place at new social protection centers to give victims a secure place for healing from the impact of electronic violence. Finally, the project leaders will work with existing lobbying groups to pressure the government to adopt a modern cyber-crimes penal code. Together, all these activities will help decrease the incidences of electronic violence and increase the number of convictions.