YOUNG WOMEN's LIVELIHOODS in the SEAM ZONES, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY – CHALLENGES and SOLUTIONS Contents Introduction
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SUMMARY REPORT | JUNE 2014 YOUNG WOMEN'S LIVELIHOODS IN THE SEAM ZONES, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY – CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................3 Overview..........................................................................................................................................3 Seam Zone specific challenges........................................................................................................3 Methodology...................................................................................................................................5 Qualitative research.........................................................................................................................5 Quantitative research.......................................................................................................................5 Findings..........................................................................................................................................6 Employment.....................................................................................................................................6 Recommendations.......................................................................................................................11 Youth..............................................................................................................................................11 CSOs and CBOs at local level........................................................................................................12 District and local council level.........................................................................................................13 National or government level..........................................................................................................13 Higher Council for Youth and Sports...............................................................................................15 Inter-ministerial...............................................................................................................................15 References....................................................................................................................................16 The research was conducted by Riyada Consulting and Training in November 2013. This summary is derived from Research into young women’s livelihoods in the Seam Zones, Occupied Palestinian Territory: the full report Front cover: A young woman with the mushrooms she has cultivated as part of her livelihoods training in this project. (Photo: Anne Paq/Y Care International) YOUNG WOMEN'S LIVELIHOODS IN THE SEAM ZONES, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY – CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS | INTRODUCTION Introduction Overview Y Care International, the East Jerusalem YMCA’s Women’s Training Programme and YWCA- YMCA of Sweden are implementing a three-year project which aims to reduce poverty levels and social exclusion among disadvantaged young women in Ramallah and Salfit districts, entitled “Empowering Young Women to Increase their Economic Opportunities and Participation in Decision-Making in the ‘Seam Zones’ of the West Bank”. The project is funded by the European Union and the Swedish Mission Council/Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The project has a strong focus on increasing the capacity of government and civil society to respond to the needs of socially excluded young women in particular. An estimated of 1,390 young people (80% young women) from disadvantaged socioeconomic areas will benefit from the project. The project aims to increase the understanding of local and national government decision makers on the challenges facing young women in the Seam Zones and to support their capacity to develop gender and youth-sensitive plans for their communities with the active participation of young women in the communities identified in the Seam Zones. With these aims in mind, research was undertaken by Y Care International, the East Jerusalem YMCA’s Women’s Training Programme and YWCA-YMCA of Sweden in 2013 to examine the opportunities and challenges facing young women in the Seam Zones in the West Bank in accessing a sustainable livelihood1. It investigated the barriers and potential solutions for young women (aged 15–29) in six villages of the Seam Zone in the Ramallah and Salfit Districts in the West Bank (Rantis, Budrus, and Qibya in Ramallah District and Rafat, Deir Ballout and El Zawiyeh in Salfit District). This report details the work undertaken and presents recommendations for a variety of stakeholders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to improve livelihood opportunities for young women in Seam Zone areas. Seam Zone specific challenges The Seam Zone is defined as “sections of Palestinian land which fall between the illegal Israeli Separation Barrier and the 1949 Armistice Line … and are therefore severed from the remainder of the Occupied Palestinian Territory” (Human Rights Council, 2012). Approximately 50,000 Palestinians live within the Seam Zones. Most of the targeted villages in the Seam Zone areas have lost lands in stages, first following the war in 1948, and in subsequent years due to the establishment of military camps or settlements and most recently because of the building of the Israeli Separation Barrier. Denial of access for farmers to their agricultural land, water resources and domestic and external markets has strongly limited the strategic role of the agricultural sector for Palestinian economic development, which was the source of the majority of 1 The research was conducted by Riyada Consulting and Training in November 2013. This summary is derived from ‘Research into young women’s livelihoods in the Seam Zones, Occupied Palestinian Territory: the full report’ Y CARE INTERNATIONAL 3 YOUNG WOMEN'S LIVELIHOODS IN THE SEAM ZONES, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY – CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS | INTRODUCTION livelihoods in the area. Restrictions on movements of people and goods have crippled the local economies and generated growing levels of poverty. The main challenge facing young women and young men trying to access sustainable livelihoods in the six locations is the lack of available jobs. Despite their high levels of education – the highest percentage of surveyed persons and over half of the women held Bachelor’s degrees – their job opportunities are limited. Low labour force participation and high unemployment of women and girls have both economic and sociocultural reasons. The loss of agricultural land has decreased the number of job opportunities available especially for women, many of whom were employed in seasonal agricultural jobs. Opportunities for educated young women from the Seam Zones to compete with job seekers from the West Bank are complicated by expensive or limited transportation and access to the main cities. Young women are further constrained by high gender segmentation in the types of jobs which are deemed appropriate for them. Therefore, unemployment in the Seam Zones is considerably higher for women and somewhat higher for men than the West Bank average. All of the villages included in this research are located in what is considered Area C. The built up areas of the village are considered Area B or a mix of Areas B and C. However, any expansion in terms of building, construction, the construction of wells, or the establishment of roads has to be done in Area C, which requires special permits from the Israeli administration that are in most cases denied. This report suggests several activities that would offer more opportunities to young women and men in the Seam Zones to access livelihoods within the limitations that they have to face. Y CARE INTERNATIONAL 4 YOUNG WOMEN'S LIVELIHOODS IN THE SEAM ZONES, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY – CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS | METHODOLOGY Methodology Qualitative research The research was based on 22 interviews conducted with 30 key informants, including: heads and members of local councils and CBOs in the six target locations, practitioners working for international organisations implementing programmes in the Seam Zones, relevant Palestinian Authority (PA) officials from the ministries of labour, higher education, agriculture and national economy and private sector companies (see Annex 6.5 in the full report – Responses from the interviews). Focus group discussions were held with nine key groups of stakeholders: six were held with young women in the target locations, and two were held with young men in both Qibya and El Zawiyeh. One focus group was held with parents and family members of young women in Deir Ballout. Alternatively, the researchers documented feedback from parents who participated with their daughters in the focus groups held in El Zawiyeh and Rafat as well as the parents who were interviewed in the CBOs in Qibya and Deir Ballout. Qualitative fieldwork began with a literature review of key project documentation at the start of the consultancy including the relevant project-related documentation. The research team also had access to a number of background documents including research on women's empowerment and economic situation, Seam Zone related research, research on youth unemployment, related policies, and economic participation, education and human rights reports, ministries' five-year plans and strategies, PCBS publications and statistics, labour market