Progress Amid Resistance

PALESTINE 377like the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD)and the WCLAC. Accusations of sexual harassment are seldom made publicbecause female victims are often stigmatized as a result.While there are several organizations that lobby for women’s political,social, and economic rights, no organizations are specifically dedicatedto improving women’s access to education. Nevertheless, there are severalinitiatives among women’s organizations to assist female universitystudents with their expenses. 84 A number of organizations, both Islamistand secular, attempt to provide women with income-generating opportunities,though these are usually traditional in nature. Since 1967,In’ash al-Usra in Al-Bireh has provided training in stereotypically feminineeconomic activities like tailoring, knitting, cooking, catering, andhairdressing. 85RecommendationsF The government should ensure that all women have access to their fulland equal inheritance rights. It should launch media campaigns thatencourage women to demand their inheritance rights, and strict penaltiesshould be imposed on those who force women to give up theirshare. Specialized female lawyers should be made available to womenseeking assistance.F The PLC should enact and provide for the enforcement of laws thatensure gender equality in labor rights and benefits. These may includestiff penalties for employers who avoid hiring or retaining marriedwomen, and tax incentives for employers who establish daycare facilitiesfor their workers’ children.F The Ministry of Education should encourage girls to receive vocationaltraining, for example by opening up vocational facilities to girls thatwere previously accessible only to males, and opening new facilitiesthat utilize advanced industrial machinery, electronics, and informationtechnology, including computer design software.F In recognition of the fact that many women work in the agriculturalsector, vocational training that concentrates on agricultural studiesshould be made accessible to women, especially those largely invisiblefemale workers who work in family-owned enterprises.F The PLC should draft and enforce laws that protect women against allforms of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Perpetratorsshould be harshly penalized, and victims’ identities should be protected.