Progress Amid Resistance

372 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAenforcement mechanisms, the PA has failed to uphold its duty to protectwomen from violence and has left them without redress or justice.The broader violence and absence of the rule of law has also motivatedfamilies to restrict the movements of their daughters, for fear that theycould be killed in military clashes or other acts of violence outside thehome. The organization Miftah (the Palestinian Initiative for the Pro mo -tion of Global Dialogue and Democracy) noted in a recent report that475 people were killed by illegal weapons in 2005 and 2006, includingmany women and children. 59 Women’s organizations, such as the WATCand the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), freelyexpress their views about women’s autonomy and security and the difficultieswomen face because of Palestine’s discriminatory laws. There are also anumber of women’s organizations in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gazathat offer services ranging from lobbying and advocacy work to trainingand psychological counseling. Four years of work by lawyers and rightsactivists has focused on proposed laws to combat domestic violence, butsuch measures have yet to be considered by the president and the PLC. 60RecommendationsF The PA should enact a more progressive, unified personal status lawthat ensures equal rights in marriage, divorce, and custody of children.To stem the negative effects of early marriage, the law should includea minimum marriage age of 18 for both sexes as proposed by theNational Campaign for the Family Law.F Civil society and political parties should escalate their advocacy effortsfor a new personal status law through a clear strategic plan targeting alldecision-makers. They should base their proposals on CEDAW, internationalhuman rights documents, and the reform proposed by theNational Campaign. Islamic women’s organizations should look intothe experiences of other countries that have adopted a more progressiveinterpretation of Shari‘a, such as Morocco.F The court system should adopt technological upgrades that enable easyaccess to court decisions and documents, allowing women to verifywhether their husbands have taken second wives or are already married.F The PA should eliminate the “house of obedience” concept from itslegal system, ensuring autonomy and freedom of movement for marriedwomen.