Women's Studies Center (WSC) at IUG organized the fifth international lecture entitled" Gender Issues in Social Participation of Refugees: Experiences from the Gaza Strip", in cooperation with the University of Graz (UniGraz) in Austria Via Skype within the framework of the APPEAR funded project titled: Strengthening Higher Education Capacities in Palestine for Gender Equality – (SHE_GE).
The lecture was presented by Gudrun Kramer- Director, Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and with students participation from UniGraz and IUG. The lecture was attended by the SHE-GE team, WSC team and interested faculty members and students with the lecture topic.
Dr Kramer pointed in her lecture that in order to shape a society, which is capable of addressing the basic needs of all its members, it needs the active participation of all different segments of society. She presented the needs for human beings: survival, well Being, identity, freedom. The lecture addressed the self-determination concept which is a human basic need per se, means also women, youth, even children, elderly people, they all want to have the possibility to make decisions for themselves and want to contribute in shaping their society.
She concluded her lecture with some examples of legal provisions that limit social participation of women in Gaza such as examples from Personal Status Law where men can decide on their marriage partner, women require the permission of a male guardian and many other examples that opened the discussion among the participants.
