The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) concluded a training workshop with the participation of 16 Palestinian women journalists working in different media organizations on legal empowerment.

The two-day training which took place in the city of Jericho focused on the reality and the challenges that face women journalists. The rights of Palestinian women in the system of local legislation and the nature of the violations against women journalists in Palestine, as well as, the Palestinian laws governing media work.

The media trainer Nahed Abu Taima said: “The Palestinian women journalists must know their rights and demand them and reject all violations they may be subjected to in the field of media, and they must be aware of the most important laws, legislation and international conventions that protect women's rights”.

The journalist Sumaya Abu Rmouz who participated in the training, said that this type of training would create a fertile legal environment for women journalists, as suck workshops contribute to raise women journalists awareness on  legal legislations and international covenants governing the work of journalists and raise their ability to form a pressure force capable of making amendments to laws that may hinder their professional duties and work in the field, under the societal challenges, In addition to enhancing their ability to assume leadership positions within the syndicate.

The Journalist Maha Yousef confirmed that the media is a platform that can be used to seek justice for Palestinian women through defending their rights and changing stereotyping through supporting/ investigative reports, radio and television programs, as well as holding awareness lectures on the rights of Palestinian women workers. She also considered that journalists should recognize their rights and claim them as the right to obtain a membership card in the Journalists Syndicate.

The workshop coordinator, Razan Al-Namari, confirmed that this training is the beginning of a series of training workshops in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, within a project in cooperation with the Finnish Representative Office  - Ramallah, which aims at raising legal awareness among female Palestinian journalists, especially in light of the double violations (on the basis of gender and media work) particularly that,  Palestinian female journalists are subjected to various violations by the Palestinian security bodies or by the Israeli occupation forces.