Brief on the "Protection of Palestinian Female Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli Prisons" project

The Aseerat website was established in 2008 as part of the "Protection of Palestinian Female Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli Prisons" project. Its aim is to create awareness around the issue of Palestinian female prisoners and detainees by providing comprehensive information on female detention and imprisonment conditions, their access to health care, education and family relations. The "Protection of Palestinian Female Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli Prisons" project itself is funded by the Government of Spain to UNIFEM as the project's Executing Agency and implemented by Palestinian non-governmental organizations: Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association, Mandela Institute and the Palestinian Counseling Centre.

Through the project - the implementation of which started in the second half of 2007 - assistance to female prisoners and detainees as well as to their families is provided in terms of legal and medical as well as psychosocial support. As overall objective, the project aims at protecting the rights of female prisoners and detainees as well as their families in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. For this purpose, the project has three inter-related complementary components:

1. Direct assistance to female prisoners and detainees (legal aid and health aid), led by Mandela Institute. This component includes a close follow up of female prisoners and detainees in particular and a regular visit program by Mandela's lawyers and associated doctors.
2. Documentation of violations committed against female prisoners / detainees and advocacy activities, led by Addameer Association. This includes, among the other things, follow up on the conditions of detention, follow up of legal motions in the Israeli military courts and links with International Humanitarian Law mechanisms.
3. Psychosocial support component, led by the Palestinian Counseling Center (PCC). This component includes psychosocial support sessions, in groups and individually, with the family members of the prisoners and detainees and with the former prisoners and detainees, in order to help them to cope with and overcome the trauma and to assist them in their full reintegration within the society.