Alaa Hameda is a Palestinian prosecutor specialised in Family Protection and Juvenile cases.

Originally from Hebron, Alaa currently works in Bethlehem. She has a PhD in International Law attained through a scholarship in Morocco, where she moved when already married and mother of two children, now 10 and 8 years old.

Alaa is a member of the Palestinian Female Prosecution Network and has in the past participated in EUPOL COPPS activities.

When discussing the challenges Alaa faces in her daily work at her office in Bethlehem, the dilemma between having to be professional while emotionally involved in cases concerning the most vulnerable in sociery, comes up.

Alaa discloses how, as a woman and a mother, at times she could not sleep for weeks, when dealing with some situations.

“I recently dealt with a case of a teenager’s girl, daughter of a separated couple, who left the mother’s house issuing a complaint against her to move in with her father. The minor was missing school. I listened to all parties and proceeded with investigations”.

Alaa explains that instead of referring to the court she worked for two months on the case.

“I assessed that nothing was wrong with the mother’s behavior. In the end subject matter experts assessed that the girl suffered from a disorder, possibly as a result of the parent’s separation”.

As Alaa stresses, the ultimate goal for her was to help and support the girl, who now receives counselling and lives with the mother again. “Both parents agreed to share responsibility for the child education and wellbeing, says Alaa, adding: “I am very happy since I feel I succeeded to act in the best interest of a young girl”.

The protection of women and girls is as every year marked in the framework of the annual, international 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign, kicking off today, which also marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The campaign runs until 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

When speaking to Alaa Hameda, GBV is also discussed, since in Palestine, as everywhere else, this gets worse during crisis and war.

“GBV is more intense during war. Here in Palestine, among the consequences of war is the worsening of the economic situation, with so many now unemployed. In any case there is no excuse, this should not be used as justification” states Alaa.

Indeed the 2024 theme for the campaign is: Every 11 Minutes, a woman is killed worldwide. #NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence against Women.

As every year, EUPOL COPPS joins the campaign with a focus on the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls, and the importance of prevention and protection from gender-based violence.

#EndVAW #OrangeTheWorld #SayNoStopVAW #EndGBV