Social and Economic Situation of Palestinian Women and Girls: July 2020–June 2022

The present report reviews the situation of Palestinian women and girls during the period July 2020–June 2022, focusing on political, social, economic and human rights developments. Building on research by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on the status of Palestinian women and girls, and drawing upon the most recent data, the present report highlights the complex situation of women and girls, revealing both progress and setbacks in the context of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and of the Gaza blockade. Palestinian women and girls also continued to face entrenched discrimination and rights violations within their own society in the context of traditional patriarchal norms, inequitable power dynamics, and stalled progress of the State of Palestine in aligning national legislation and policies with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which is in part due to the fragmentation of the Palestinian territory and the inability to convene the Palestinian Legislative Council. Despite several measures implemented by the Government of Palestine over the reporting period, including the launch of the second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, violence against women and girls remains prevalent and women’s political and economic participation curtailed.