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Reports and Position Papers
This paper discusses the ecclesiastical courts in Israel, including their laws, proceedings and legal procedures, from a gender-responsive perspective. The analysis presented draws on the experiences of women who have filed for divorce, separation, or dissolution/annulment of marriage in these courts. Although the analysis is limited to this type of proceeding, it can be considered representative, as files related to marriage and divorce constitute the majority of the cases dealt with by Christian courts, whose jurisdiction extends only to issues of family law and personal status.
Kayan works to improve legal access for the most vulnerable and marginalized of our community, as well as leverage the benefits of gender-responsive litigation as a tool for social change, through the provision of free legal counseling and representation for Arab women of low socio-economic means. Such legal counseling and assistance in the field of family law is of even greater significance in light of the fact that it enables women to actualize new rights afforded them through the Reform in the Law and assists women in their applications to the Family Court. This report contains a summary of legal aid services of the Legal Department throughought the period 2006-2010.
This position paper provides information about laws prohibiting sexual harassment in Israel and employers` legal obligations in this domain, identifies obstacles to implementation and recommends ways in which existing legislation can be strengthened. Regarding the provision requiring employers to appoint liaisons tasked with fielding complaints and giving recommendations to employers, the paper addresses the lack of specific qualification criteria for appointments, mechanisms for proper support of the appointees or penalties for non-compliance. Recommendations include professional training of appointees, assurance of independent authority for appointees not derived from their employers and the initiation of an awareness-raising campaign.The Sharia and Greek Orthodox courts both maintain a variation of a law known as `obedience,` an antiquated provision that allows a man to demand his spouse return to him in cases of separation. Though such orders are no longer practically enforced - a fact of which many Arab women are not aware - successful obedience claims can have repercussions, including the loss of alimony. More importantly though, obedience laws constitute a discriminatory procedural tool for subjecting women to humiliating processes and terminology. This position paper provides a general background on the issue of obedience, including how it is applied, its treatment within the religious courts and information about enforcement and implementation.
The Women Demand Mobility project, initiated by Kayan, started in the village of Maghar, population 20,000, by women who were fed up with trying to find a way to get to a weekly Kayan meeting. Since there was no public transport within the community, the local women decided to address this issue and, after organizing for one year, on January 2005, they Celebrated the initiation of a bus service in Maghar.
"Physicians for Human Rights - Israel" and Kayan estimate that the amendment to the Nationality and Entry into Israel Law from 2003 has Harmed, until now, more than 15,000 couples by leaving one of the two partners without civil status. Among the women Harmed by the law, it is estimated that about one third live in Israel on "staying visas, which allow them to live in Israel without social rights, and the Remainder are illegal.
This report is the Culmination of an extensive bi-national, multi-lingual and multi-cultural effort to learn from and strengthen the third sector in Haifa and in Boston. It presents a model of Participatory Action Research (PAR) focused on the development of the third sector in Israel. The PAR methodology, coMbined with a learning exchange, intentional reflection, and community building opportunities, was used as a tool for enhancing Haifa Non-Governmental Organizations `capacities. The report describes the practical and Conceptual impacts of this model `s application in a pilot trial and dIscusses its possible use and importance for future participatory research and NGO capacity building work.
This report `s objective is to Examine, for the first time, the issue of the mobility of Arab women in the Arab sector. The report presents the personal, political and Socio-economic iMplications of the state of mobility and Proposes practical ways to improve the situation. It is based on an in-depth survey conducted in the period between September 2005 and January 2006 in Arab communities in the North and in the Triangle, regions that contain the Majority of the Arab population in Israel.
This NGO report documents
This joint report of Kayan and Ittijah - Union of Arab Community Based Associations details the legal and economic situation of Palestinian women citizens of Israel
Where Are All the Women, 2003
Isha L `Isha and Kayan organized the first national conference addressing Resolution 1325 in Israel, titled" UN Security Councils Resolution 1325 and its Relevance to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. " Academic conference speakers included scholars, Attorneys, and activists for women `s rights, human rights and peace from both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. This collection of essays is based on the lectures that were given during the conference.
Childcare Workers, 2002
