Minister of Justice visits campus, addresses gender-based violence

Mohammed al-Shalaldeh, Palestine’s minister of justice, visited Birzeit University and met with Vice President for Academic Affairs Khalid Swaileh, on November 12, 2019. Shalaldeh’s visit came at the occasion of his participation in a workshop organized by the university’s Media Development Center, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Palestinian Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

Swaileh said that the university, through its academic programs, training sessions, and joint workshops aims to support the Palestinian justice system, especially in the context of efforts to prevent and end gender-based violence by building a solid understanding of its effects and by suggesting measures that involve media networks and social media platforms.

Shalaldeh pointed out that preventing and addressing sexual and gender-based violence requires not only laws and regulations but also the implementation of a range of safeguards that can be put in place to effectively prevent such abuse as well as the raising of awareness on the importance of timely reporting such crimes.

Attending the meeting were Abderahman Ibrahim, dean of the Faculty of Law and Public Administration, and Iyad Tumar and Imad Ghayatha, both assistants to the vice president for academic affairs. Representing the Media Development Center were Buthayna Alsemeri, Ruba Kaileh, and Saleh Masharqa.

The three-day workshop will discuss how to increase the use of media platforms to support social activism movements that engage to raise awareness of gender-based violence.