Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD)

In view of the numerous human rights violations committed against Palestinians on daily basis in Palestine, Palestinian women are drastically affected by the prevailing violence in all its forms. In fact, Goal # 3 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which was published by the UNDP, states that it is highly important to “Promote Gender Equality and Promote Women”. The target in that respect was to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education. Women in Palestine are the most affected social segment by the present political instability in Palestine, in particular, and in the region as a whole. During the last three years, violence has become a fact of every Palestinian life. This has placed an enormous burden and undue psychological and social pressures on Palestinian women. However, women are not only fighting for their political rights, but they are also deprived from their right to work, health, education and environment as adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966. As a matter of fact, Articles (22-28) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights include the above –mentioned rights... Consequently, the Palestinian Working Women Society for Development seeks to provide an optimistic vision for a better future.

The PWWSD as one of the biggest Grassroots organizations, and as part of the Palestinian community is seeking to balance between the national Agenda (resisting the occupation) and the social democratic agenda through developing it's programs and projects that aims at women empowerment, sustainable development and works in accordance with the women movements. We always share and participate in the democratic and developmental process, and this makes us play outstanding roles in the Palestinian community. Consequently, we focus on grassroots mobilization by addressing women's needs, Determining the attitudes toward women's issues, identifying strategic constituencies, developing effective information, education keys to community support and involvement, methods for mobilizing and recruiting volunteers, communicating with women and the public AND CALL FOR ACTION

During our four-year plan, the PWWSD will be very keen about highlighting the difference between the to levels of women’s empowerment, in terms of advances in gender and development theory and practice in recent years. It is generally recognized that the women in development (WID) approach is “gender power neutral”, in the sense that it avoids a consideration of how power is exercised and distributed between women and men in the society. The gender development (GAD) approach, on the other hand, is credited within giving central importance to power relations between women and men. From this perspective, the PWWSD is adopting the GAD approach.

Moreover, there is a massive need for proposing a strategy that will either empower women already working in the formal or informal economies, or that will help to promote the integration of both women into both sectors. Without radical change taking place in the overall structure of the economy, only micro-level interventions are deemed possible, even though legislation and certain macro-level policies are suggested in that respect within the Umbrella namely the Palestinian National Authority. In fact, interventions aimed at promoting or improving women’s access to wage work must be targeted, while taking into consideration level of education and skill on one hand and demographic circumstances as well as standard of living on the other hand.

The Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD) supports the political women concept based on the fact that human rights are universal and integral and women rights are human rights based on equality, justice and equity principles. The Society is engaged with other national, social and democratic movements at the local, regional and international levels against the Israeli occupation and all other forms of oppression and discrimination based on race, sex or belief. The Society works for building a civil and democratic society in Palestine, confronting militarization of globalization and empowering women, and marginalized groups, to practice the right to self-determination, right to choice, right of access and control to resources through re-formation of communal structures that ensure the balance of power relations in the society between both sexes. The Society is based on the civilized, legal and human progressive heritage regardless of the source of heritage.

http://www.pwwsd.org/