New York [US], September 16: UN Women has called for immediate action to end the violence and suffering experienced by Palestinian women in the West Bank, warning against the continued deterioration of conditions for women and girls in the occupied territory due to escalating settler violence, military operations, and movement restrictions that have reached a two-decade high.
In a new analysis regarding the situation of Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the agency revealed that approximately 83,200 households are headed by women, representing one in eight households. The analysis notes that this figure is likely an underestimate.
The analysis highlighted data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued last July, indicating the displacement of more than 41,500 people in the occupied West Bank, including over 20,000 women and girls, based on gender population breakdowns from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
UN Women's analysis showed that women heading households bear heavy responsibilities: 82% manage household income, 77% handle childcare, 75% make all decisions regarding family members' safety, and 65% handle aid applications alone.
The analysis reviewed the suffering of Palestinian women, noting the presence of about 925 movement obstacles across the occupied West Bank, including staffed checkpoints, earth mounds, roadblocks, and trenches-the highest number recorded in two decades. Forty percent of these checkpoints are located in the H2 area of Hebron. The agency confirmed that nearly nine in ten surveyed women heading households stated checkpoints make them feel unsafe while traveling, more than half said movement restrictions hinder their access to livelihoods, and all surveyed women reported avoiding checkpoints entirely.
UN Women warned that displaced households headed by women face severe difficulties in meeting basic needs, including access to cash, food, clothing, hygiene supplies, and shelter, alongside mounting fears of violence and security threats facing their children.
Source: Emirates News Agency
