According to the preliminary results of the survey on violence in Palestinian society, the latest issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in 2019, psychological violence is the most prevalent form of violence against women. 57% of currently married or previously married women in Palestine have experienced psychological violence at least once by their husbands, while 54% of young women who have never been married have experienced psychological violence by a family member. 29% of currently married or previously married women have experienced some form of violence (psychological, physical, sexual, social, or economic) at least once by their husbands. 18% have experienced physical violence, and 9% have experienced sexual violence. 61% of women who have experienced violence have preferred to remain silent.
According to the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network, 27 women and girls have been killed since the beginning of 2020 until the time of preparing this report, the most recent of which was a pregnant woman at the hands of her husband. This is high compared to 2019, when 29 murders were recorded.
These figures prompted human rights and women’s organizations, most recently the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network, to demand that the political leadership immediately pass a law to protect the family from violence to provide protection for women. Forms of violence have multiplied during the pandemic, becoming more violent, with physical and economic violence becoming more prevalent.