\u201cIf you find yourself in a place that allows you to make a real difference in other women\u2019s lives, obstacles will not stop you anymore,\u201d says Ayah al-Wakil, a lawyer working at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
Going to the Shari\u2019a court every day to file cases on behalf of survivors of violence has been her morning routine since 2015. \u201cSo far, I have filed more than 300 cases and the number will increase as the women who I helped keep bringing family and friends,\u201d she continued, adding that her job gives her a sense of purpose.<\/p>\n
In Palestine, the Shari\u2019a court deals with family matters codified in the Personal Status Law relating to marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. \u201cDue to some limitations of the Personal Status Law, Shari\u2019a court rulings do not always reflect women and children\u2019s needs and best interests,\u201d said al-Wakil, pointing out the substantive lack of equality for women in the Personal Status Law. Growing up in Gaza Strip studying law, al-Wakil knew the shortcomings of the system. \u201cI became determined to improve women\u2019s lives in my hometown and started to look for opportunities. And soon after, Sawasya came to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
In November 2015, Ayah al-Wakil was selected as one of the four female lawyers for a training with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, supported by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women\/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP joint programme, Sawasya (meaning \u201cequal\u201d in Arabic), to defend women\u2019s rights at the Shari\u2019a court. \u201cThe training changed my life\u2014I learned every essential skill during that year, from filing cases to arguing in court to defend women\u2019s rights, skills that I still use every day,” she says.<\/p>\n
After the training finished, al-Wakil decided to remain at the Centre to continue working with survivors of violence. \u201cThat was exactly what Sawasya wanted to achieve through the training\u2014prepare and equip female lawyers to defend women\u2019s rights in the Shari\u2019a court, and Ayah made it,\u201d said Areej Al-Ashhab, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women programme associate for the Sawasya programme.<\/p>\n
Although al-Wakil\u2019s day is full, preparing legal documents and going to court, she always makes time to talk to women who need her. Faten Ashour* is one of the women who regularly visit al-Wakil, even after her divorce was finalized with al-Wakil\u2019s help. Finally free from her 13-year abusive marriage, Ashour is now preparing to finish high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very scared and tense before my first appointment with Ayah,\u201d recalls Ashour, who had experienced a series of obstacles at the court before meeting al-Wakil.<\/p>\n
\u201cAyah was different from other people that I met in the court. She listened to me and respected me,\u201d she added. Gone is the woman who kept things to herself and stayed silent when facing injustice. Faten Ashour now speaks up for herself and tries to encourage other women, including her sisters, to seek help when in abusive situations.<\/p>\n
When asked about her future plan, al-Wakil says she will continue to support survivors of violence to claim their rights. Through the Sawasya programme, she and her colleagues at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights recently started providing awareness raising workshops on so-called \u201chonour killing\u201d, a tradition that sanctions the killing of women by their family members in the name of family honour, still prevalent in Gaza.<\/p>\n
However, most men who attended the workshop did not change their opinion immediately about honor killing being a legitimate practice. Al-Wakil believes the solution lies in the law. \u201cLaw is above tradition, and that is why law should be amended to protect women. We should work hard and put all our efforts together to make necessary changes,\u201d she concluded with hope and determination in her eyes.<\/p>\n
Ayah al-Wakil participated in the lawyers\u2019 training provided by PCHR as part of \u201cPromoting the rule of law in the occupied Palestine territory\u201d\u2014or Sawasya, as it\u2019s locally called\u2014implemented jointly by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF, and generously funded by the Government of Netherlands, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Union (EU).<\/p>\n
Note:* The name has been changed to protect the identity of the survivor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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