Young Palestinians push for a gender-equal Constitution
Source:
UN Women
April 24, 2015
More than 700 young Palestinians have received leadership and gender-sensitivity training and several have collectively drafted an alternative constitution that challenges the status quo.
Amani Thawabta, a law school graduate from Palestine, is among a group of 26 young women and men representing 25 community-based organizations from rural and urban Palestine who formed a coalition called the Constitutional Shadow Committee. Drawing on the knowledge gained through such workshops, they drafted an alternative constitution that challenges the lack of gender equality in the current third draft, prepared by the official Constitutional Committee, which is comprised only of men.
At first shy and reserved, Ms. Thawabta soon emerged as a committed organizer, taking part in many of the programme’s workshops and organizing others in her own community. Through 29 workshops held across Palestine, more than 700 young Palestinians like her have learned about political analysis, lobbying and advocacy, and Constitution-building.
