Phase 2 - Occupied Palestinian Territory

1. The General Union of Disabled Palestinians conducted a TV sensitization campaign on the rights of persons with disabilities through two talk-shows broadcast on a Palestinian channel in December 2000 and January 2001. The main issues addressed were the right of disabled people to an accessible environment, the right of disabled women to work, the right of disabled children to education, and the right of the hearing-impaired to have access to a sign language interpreter in major public institutions. The ACT Task Force representative in Gaza stated: “There is a relatively high incidence of disability in Palestine as a result of physical and psychological experiences under the occupation. The project is community-sensitive and serves a worthy human rights purpose which is otherwise receiving little attention.” The NGO representatives reported: “We think that we raised awareness about people with disabilities and that we educated decision makers about specific rights of the disabled; we also motivated media facilities to pay more attention to the disabled, and, above all, we offered a platform for people with disabilities to speak out about their rights.”

Allocated grant: US$3,000

2. The Palestinian Centre Against Violence addressed issues related to the rights of children within their families. Three workshops were held in three different places in the Jabalia Camp, North Zone, in autumn 2000. The audience was composed of 60 children (aged 12 to 15) and their parents. The aim of the project was to develop communication skills within families and to promote respect for children's rights. Printed materials such as leaflets, brochures and T-shirts reflecting the substance of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Arabic language were distributed. After the workshops, 10 “children human rights activists” were chosen to follow up the results of the discussions and report to the applicant on a monthly basis.

Allocated grant: US$3,000

3. Eljawzaa Educational Centre addressed children's and young women's rights in the El-Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza strip, where more than half of the total population (90,000 persons) are aged under 18. A total of 132 training course hours were provided on how to prevent physical and psychological violence against children and women. The courses were given by the applicant's representatives to 70 children, dozens of young women of marriageable age and young husbands. As a result of the courses, a working group was established to propose changes in mentalities and in local legislation.

Allocated grant: US$3,000

4. The Culture and Free Thought Association organized eight workshops and an art exhibition on children's and women's rights in remote areas of the region. A training course on these issues for new employees of the NGO was also conducted. The workshops, which consisted of plays, discussions, sketches, etc., were attended by a total of 350 children aged 6 to 14 (only 200 had been expected) and the issues addressed were all related to human rights in an Islamic context.

Allocated grant: US$3,000

5. The Green Peace Association's project addressed the issue of a safe environment as a fundamental right, including the right of children to live in clean and appropriate playing areas, the right to health, etc. The applicant produced a small book on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Arabic language, which was distributed to 500 pupils, organized community workshops and seminars on the right to a peaceful and clean environment, and produced promotional materials (such as posters, leaflets, etc), which were distributed in schools. The posters produced were based on a selection of five drawings by the winners of a competition among 30 students. The target audience for the general project were the children of a refugee camp in Deir El-Balah (Gaza Strip) and their mothers. The NGO representatives reported: “For most of the children involved, this was the first opportunity to learn about human rights and the environment in a simple language; it was also a chance for them to express their own ideas on how to protect the environment.”

Allocated grant: US$3,000