Gaza- Press House
On Thursday, September 17, 2020, Press House – Palestine(BAS) organized a workshop on the topic of “domestic violence and its impact during quarantine”, via ZOOM application, as part of Strengthening Free & Independent Media in Palestine Project activities, in collaboration with MA'AN Development Center and the Society of Women Graduates in the Gaza Strip, as part of the activities of the Youth Partnership Forum project.
The facilitator of the workshop was Dr. Ismail Ahel, a psychologist and social worker, in the presence of more than 38 participants of a group of students and graduates of the faculties of journalism and media in the Gaza Strip.
Ms. Raghda Al-Najar, project coordinator at Press House, opened the workshop, where she explained the mechanisms of using Zoom application, and also talked about the importance of the workshop in light of the spread of the Corona pandemic in the Gaza Strip, and during quarantine.
Form his part, Dr. Ismail Ahel said that the period that the Gaza Strip and the world are going through due to the Corona pandemic, increases the rates of violence within the family due to the closure and the state of emergency that led to the imposition of the quarantine on individuals by the authorities, and the accompanying psychological disorders, financial and economic problems and instability.
Dr. Ahel explained that the increase in domestic violence during the period of domestic quarantine, begins from the family and ends in the society, where some fathers began to monitor the actions of their children inside the home, after it was limited to mothers.
Dr. Ahel pointed out that the quarantine, a new situation for the society in the Gaza Strip, and this led to the difficulty of individuals accepting this status and difficult to deal with it, as the residents of the Gaza Strip have strong social relations with each other, and this may result in an increase in cases of violence that may be (psychological, health or physical) against children and women being the most vulnerable groups in society.
Dr. Ahel noted that many psychological pressures emerged during quarantine, as a result of the economic situation or general anxiety that affected the health aspect, as well as the psychological side in the family members.
Dr. Ahel concluded the workshop by answering the questions asked by participants, about the psychological conditions and the increasing incidence of domestic violence in the Gaza Strip, and the methods of exiting them in light of the continuation of quarantine.
