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A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

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Women's Affairs Technical Committee

The Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) was established in 1992 as a coalition of seven women's organizations, three women's centers and individual women activists. WATC seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, to develop the role of women in society, and to empower women to assume decision-making positions. WATC pays special attention to marginalized and less privileged women, particularly women in rural areas and refugees, as well as focusing on women leaders and young potential leaders in order to facilitate their role in the process of national struggle and social change. (Source: WATC)

• WATC aims to inform women, both locally and internationally, about the achievements and challenges facing Palestinian women. Networking includes activities that strengthen the coalition of WATC organizations such as holding meetings for activists, publishing leaflets, petitions, newsletters, contacting supporters and coordinating Executive Committee meetings. In addition, the networking includes exchanging experiences with women professionals from the Arab world and arranging for mass marches of women to express women's demands.

• WATC lobbies decision makers for changes in the law in an effort to render legislation more gender-sensitive. WATC strives to establish various pressure groups to lobby for more rights for women. The Advocacy Program of WATC monitors all kinds of discrimination against women in all organizations on lobbying strategies.

• WATC campaigns with women for equal rights. It also has its own project which involves campaigning with rural women and addressing their practical and strategic needs. WATC also reaches out to young women throughout the West Bank, training them in various skills and including them in WATC advocacy work. 

• WATC trained hundreds of women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on various topics such as communication skills, managerial and administrative skills, gender planning and human rights education. WATC aims to improve the capacity of employees of women's organizations through training that is specially designed to meet the assessed needs. WATC also trains female candidates for the legislative and municipal council elections. 

• WATC publishes a bi-weekly newspaper supplement titled "Voice of Women", quarterly Arabic and English newsletters, leaflets and different reading materials about women's rights issues. WATC is now embarking on a weekly half hour TV program on women's issues and concerns. 

• WATC formed a database concerned mainly with women's issues at the national and international level. This will help Palestinian women to exchange experience with women in other parts of the world. (Source: WATC)

• For more information about the projects WATC participates in, please visit their Project page.

• Reports

WATC produces a biweekly publication titled "Voice of Women," which is distributed with Al Ayyam newspaper and is partly translated into English on their website.

WATC also has weekly radio show entitled ‘Against Silence’ which has for ten years been broadcast on Voice of Palestine radio every Tuesday at 11am. This project is supported by the Norwegian Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority.

WATC has also published books, made films, pamphlets and other publications.

• AdvocacyNet

June 20, 2007
Palestinians Show Courage and Resilience in their Darkest Hour, Report Peace Fellows

• Blogs

In 2008, AP Peace Fellow Hannah Wright works with WATC. Read Hannah's blog. 

AP sent a Peace Fellow, Tatsiana Hulko, to work with WATC during the summer of 2007.  Read Tatsiana's blog.

July 17, 2004
In Gaza, Hunger for a Fresh Vision
International Herald Tribune

Summer 2003
Interview with Maha Nasser of WATC member organization the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees
Fight Back!




Outreach Partners

• Norwegian Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority
• Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
• Diakonia
• Ford Foundation
• National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
• Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
• Movimiento por la Paz (MPDL)
• Women's Learning Partnership

• Groups of women trained under WATC’s Sanabel project have gone on to form independent institutions and women’s centers which carry out their own training and workshops
• WATC has provided funding for women to establish their own income-generating projects, offering them independence and empowerment
• WATC’s projects have succeeded in improving the confidence of many women to claim their rights
• WATC has also been heavily involved in campaigns which have successfully achieved the following legal reforms:
  • Palestinian women are now able to obtain a passport without the presence of their husband
  • Women are able to have a passport issued in their name before marriage
  • Women are now able to obtain a driving license without needing an escort
  • Women are able to give ‘citizenship’ to their husbands and children
  • Women are now legally able to open a bank account for their children
  • Widows have the right to issue a passport for their children without the consent of their children or uncles
  • Local councils and the Palestinian Legislative Council now have 20% quotas for women candidates in elections

Contact:
Awad Center
2nd floor
Irsal St., Ramallah
Email WATC
Telephone(s) : 972 2 2986497, 972 2 2987784

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