MoSD: Displacement, Poverty, & Loss of Income Increase the Risks of Violence against Women & Girls
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, MoSD: Protection Requires a Sustainable Response & Empowerment Beyond Emergency Interventions
Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, observed annually on 25 November, and the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that protecting women and girls is a fundamental pillar of the social protection system. The Ministry stressed that an effective response must go beyond intervention after violence occurs to include prevention, early detection, case management, psychological and legal support, safe shelter, rehabilitation, reintegration, and economic empowerment.
The Ministry explained that the situation facing Palestinian women has become increasingly complex amid the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip and escalating attacks, displacement, poverty, and loss of income in the West Bank. These conditions expose women and girls to overlapping risks of violence, alongside growing caregiving and financial responsibilities, loss of privacy, and difficulties accessing essential services.
Data from 2025 highlight the increasing pressure on the protection system. The Ministry's directorates in the West Bank provided services to approximately 850 women affected by gender-based violence, while around 3,000 women in the Gaza Strip benefited from protection, shelter, psychosocial support, and legal assistance services.
In addition, approximately 1,100 displaced women in Jenin and Tulkarm camps received financial assistance, psychosocial counselling sessions, and dignity kits. The Ministry also supported the creation of 40 employment opportunities and 40 economic empowerment projects for survivors of violence and female-headed households.
In the Gaza Strip, the vulnerability of women and girls has intensified significantly. According to Ministry data, more than 28,000 women have lost their husbands during the military offensive, while estimates from UN Women indicate that one in every seven households in Gaza is headed by a woman. This places additional economic and social burdens on women amid displacement, loss of livelihoods, and weakened protection networks.
Furthermore, analyses conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2025 showed that denial of resources and opportunities accounted for 35.5% of reported forms of violence in Gaza, followed by psychological violence at 29.8% and physical assault at 25.8%. These figures reflect the close relationship between displacement, poverty, insecurity, and increasing risks of violence.
The Ministry explained that its women's protection services include receiving reports of violence, case management, family follow-up, psychosocial support, legal assistance, referrals, safe shelter, financial assistance, rehabilitation, reintegration, and economic empowerment. These services are delivered through the Ministry's directorates and protection centres in partnership with local and international organizations.
During 2026, the Ministry strengthened its protection system by adopting unified procedures for women's and children's protection case files, regulating the handling of reports, referral pathways, and follow-up mechanisms while safeguarding data confidentiality and privacy. These measures aim to improve service quality and ensure continuity of care and protection.
The Ministry stressed that effective protection for women does not end with removing them from immediate danger. It also requires addressing the underlying factors that may expose them to repeated violence, particularly poverty, economic dependence, lack of safe housing, and limited access to services.
For this reason, the Ministry integrates protection services with social assistance and economic empowerment programmes to strengthen women's independence and reduce their vulnerability to violence.
The Ministry of Social Development called on government institutions, civil society organizations, United Nations agencies, the private sector, and donors to increase investment in protection centres, safe shelters, psychological and legal support, case management, referral pathways, and economic empowerment programmes.
It emphasized the importance of prioritizing displaced women, women with disabilities, older women, female heads of households, and girls facing heightened protection risks.
The Ministry concluded by stressing that the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence must not remain a seasonal campaign, but should form part of sustained efforts throughout the year.
It reaffirmed that the safety and dignity of women and girls, and their rights to protection, justice, essential services, and empowerment, must remain at the heart of the social protection system.