New Ma’an Network project with support of the Arab Human Rights Fund

The new weekly program “Anti” (Arabic for “you”) was launched in June 2012. “Anti” is a participatory, live television program, broadcast via Ma’an Mix satellite channel. Ma’an Network will produce 10 episodes, each focusing on issues affecting women, paying particular attention to how the complex legal system and application of laws impact on women.

Background: The current legal framework in the oPt (West Bank and Gaza) is one of the most significant obstacles to gender equality. The legal status in the oPt is both complex and unique. Multiple legal systems have affected the legal and political structures, as a result of the numerous authorities who have ruled over Palestine throughout history. Subsequent to coming into power in 1994, the Palestinian Authority inherited a barely functioning, disjointed judicial system neglected during almost 30 years of Israeli occupation. Parallel and conflicting legal codes exist, and are drawn from: Palestinian Basic Law, Israeli military and civil law, Ottoman law, British Mandate law, Jordanian law, Egyptian law, Sharia law, and international law.

A weak rule of law has a particularly detrimental effect on gender equality and women’s empowerment, especially with regards to domestic violence and family law. Moreover, legal malfunctioning impacts particularly severely on women. Further, there are impediments and limitations regarding impartial access to justice and legal recourse to women. Recent studies by the International Commission for Human Rights has found circumstantial evidence suggesting that a lack of trust in the judicial system has encouraged individuals to turn to tribal/clan based arbitration mechanisms.

For full length episodes of “Anti” click on the following links:

First episode: General overview of the complex legal situation in the oPt affecting women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UihIECfnVDQ&feature=relmfu

Second episode: Violence against women – legal protection and mechanisms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIk4cgVXwXY&feature=relmfu

Third episode: Women with disabilities and their socio-legal situation in the oPt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxznp8RMue8

Fourth episode: Women and divorce rights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m23b7pfOz6c