Al-Irsal Street, Al-Masayef, Business Center Building, 3rd Floor
Ramallah
Territoires palestiniens
- Democracy and community development
- Gender
- Human rights
Jerusalem Center for Women is committed to advancing the human rights of Palestinian women and developing their role in civil society, nation building, and the decision making process while working to end oppression, poverty, and human rights violations of all members of Palestinian society. JCW’s primary goals are as follows: women’s empowerment in community and political activism, protection and advancement of Palestinian women’s right and status, women’s involvement in realizing a regional peace based on justice, and the establishment of local and international networks supporting JCW in achieving its goals.
MISSION Our mission is to establish and grow a strong network of women constituencies and leaders from marginalized areas in Jerusalem and Palestine. Through partnerships with civil, public and private partners and national women leaders, we provide them with the resources and support they need to develop their own potential and that of their families and communities. Our Goals : To protect and advance Palestinian Women's rights and societal status. To train and educate Palestinian Women in order to encourage them and to faciliate participation in community activism and politics. to advocate respect for human rights an end to the occupation , and a just and lasting peace. ro raise awareness , locally and internationally regarding human rights abuses committed by the isreali occupation forces against all Palestinians, with particular focus on abuses committed against women and girls . to establish local regional and international partnerships with supportive organizations to enhance JCW's plans to strenghten the role of Palestinian women and support them through different programs , projects, and trainings .
from these meetings, a core group of nine Palestinian women activists took the initiative to establish the Jerusalem Center for Women with the aim of empowering Palestinian women's position in civil society, politics, and within the peace process. JCW immediately began involving and engaging hundreds of Palestinian women interested in working towards the protection and advancement of women and human rights. The group grew substantially within its first few years, and formed a General Assembly to guide and coordinate JCW. In the spring of 1994, following several meetings 13 women were elected to the first Board of Directors and JCW became a registered non governmental organization in East Jerusalem with the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. At the same time JCW was founded, an Israeli women's organization, Bat Shalom, was also founded. The intention was for the two organizations to form a platform for women's voices to influence the peace process. Together, the two organizations founded a coordinating body known as the Jerusalem Link. From the beginning, JCW and Bat Shalom have operated independently of one another, each maintaining executive and organizational integrity, while periodically working together to advance women's interests in the peace process. However, since the attack on Gaza in December 2008, JCW and Bat Shalom have decided that the priority lies in working separately on their own constituency to prepare the ground for future peace work. Therefore, JCW and Bat Shalom are working on separate programs of advocacy and capacity building, where each organization works to strengthening the respect for human rights and democracy within their own society. Despite several setbacks to the Palestinian women’s movement, JCW envisions women as central in the process of successful nation and state building, and therefore continues to support the empowerment and involvement of women in all aspects of Palestinian civil society and development. JCW also continues to support women’s participation in the peace process and believes women’s ideas for a just peace must be included in final status negotiations. In preparation for this, JCW seeks to provide Palestinian women with training opportunities in public speaking, advocacy and other activism skills in order to advance women’s status and their role in Palestinian society. We believe this support is essential to protecting the decision-making process, human rights and democratic principles, which are the foundations of a just and lasting peace. Since its inception, JCW has empowered thousands of Palestinian women by training female community leaders, activists, young professionals and politicians, provided legal assistance to families at risk of having their homes demolished, and advocated on a local and international level for women’s rights and an end to occupation. Recent history With the war on Gaza in 2008|09 and the implicit difficulties for further joint activities and projects the Jerusalem Link dissolved, as did Bat Shalom this current year. Regarding the ongoing development Jerusalem Center for Women has defined four core strategic priorities as (1) protection, (2) capacity development, (3) women leadership and political participation, and (4) advocacy | media. Still and relevant as ever JCW strives to emphasize that the struggle for women´s rights is a crucial component to achieve human rights for all Palestinians. JCW goes for empowering female activists, students, and professionals so that they are able to effectively communicate and participate in Palestinian civil and political society as well as training a new generation of young leaders dedicated to advancing women´s rights and creating a culture of human rights and democracy in Palestine. Furthermore, JCW continues to increase women´s skills and confidence to prepare them to become agents of change and powerful advocates for their communities and against Israeli occupation. Likewise JCW considers significant to support Palestinian women in apprehending, addressing, and altering the male societal patriarchy. Regarding the intensified focus on advocacy and media JCW aims to raise local, national, regional, and international awareness to violations of Palestinian women´s rights by using varied advocacy techniques, including the use of new media, social networking, lobbying, researching, documenting, and disseminating information to key outlets and decision makers.