Press House in partnership with REFORM organizes a film discussion for "Stigma” documentary

On Monday, 29th of Sep 2019, the Press House - Palestine in partnership with REFORM, organized a film discussion for a documentary entitled “ Stigma", which was written and directed by (Ihab Al Khateb), as part of the project “Fostering Social Inclusion and Gender Equality within Palestinian Society tackling gender stereotypes”, funded by the Italian GVC Foundation.

The film "Stigma" sheds light on the penal code on rape cases in the Arab countries, which provides for a stay of execution if the aggressor marries the assailant and the marriage lasted for 5-3 years, depending on the nature of the attack. The discussion between the attendees shows the extent of Support and opposition to this law with a focus on the consequences of the implementation of the law psychologically and socially on the victim and the society as a whole.

The situation has been dropped on Palestinian society, particularly in the Gaza Strip, with a focus on the role of the civil society institutions in rejecting this law and working to abolish it through putting pressure, advocacy and feminist movements that have been and are still striving to gain the freedom and dignity of women and to stop violence against them.

The importance of this film is in highlighting the rape cases and its repercussions in more than one Arab country with a focus on the role of communities, governments and community institutions in shaping the first line to defend and protect women, starting from the change in the perception of the communities of rape victims to the enactment of strict laws towards the aggressors in order to deter these phenomena Which almost damages the fabric of the Arab society.

These documentary films were an awareness-raising activity for the trainees of the project, based on open discussion and exchange of views and experiences to increase their involvement in in-depth analyzes of societal challenges, as well as providing tools to help remove restrictions associated with cultural and social systems and raise their awareness of the importance of women's participation in the Palestinian society, and its impact on achieving sustainable development and cultural diversity.

It’s worth noting that this project aims at challenging discriminatory and exclusionary practices and behaviors that contribute to promoting gender inequality by providing safe spaces for marginalized groups, especially youth and women, to discuss gender-based societal issues, and to improve the exchange of experience among the various components of Palestinian society to promote the social inclusion.