Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) organised a community meeting entitled, ‘Protecting and Respecting the Rights of Women, Girls, Marginalised People with Disabilities and Survivors of Gender-based Violence (GBV) in the Gaza Strip,’ as part of the project implemented by the Women's Affairs Center (WAC) in Gaza in partnership with QRCS and the Red Crescent Society for the Gaza Strip, with the support of the European Union.

The meeting was attended by 39 participants, including representatives of civil society institutions and youth activists in the northern Gaza Strip.

Participants agreed to recommend the need to improve the economic and social conditions of women and people with disabilities by supporting their access to their law-guaranteed rights, with a focus on educating the public through the media and social media platforms about the importance of appreciating and respecting the role of women in the community as a key requirement for a secure society that is free from GBV.

The project includes the provision of psychosocial, social, health, and economic support services to marginalised women in northern Gaza and central governorates, among certain considerations of the fragility of intervention areas, where the highest rates of GBV were recorded.

Through the project, QRCS trains 54 women, half of whom are disabled, to manage small enterprises, and 12 women and girls benefit from financial grants to implement small income-generating projects. 

The project also includes the implementation of awareness training with the participation of 51 women, after which 12 women and girls, half of whom are disabled, are selected to benefit from temporary employment contracts for three months as part of the training outcomes.

Besides, the Qatari Red Crescent is carrying out a range of media activities within the project, including the production of a documentary, a visual report, radio episode and radio spots, in addition to sending short text messages to about 10,000 people to raise awareness of the importance of supporting women’s rights in the local community.