Each year, our advocates provide consultation and legal representation to scores of low-income Arab women in need, nearly two-thirds of whom require assistance in the domain of family law. In Israel, two parallel, overlapping - and in some cases competing - family court systems exist side by side. As Israel does not recognize domestic civil unions, such matters remain the province of the religious court system. Kayan works to ensure that Arab women have the tools and knowledge they need to protect their rights, live with dignity, and achieve civil equality.

 

Kayan's efforts to protect the rights of individual women also enables our team to identify common challenges facing Arab women throughout Israel. Looking forward, these encounters empower us to refine our approaches within the courts, tailor educational initiatives to better inform Arab women of their rights, and develop strategic advocacy campaigns to bring about reform in Israel.

 

Five Years of Legal Aid: Summary and Analysis, 2011 English | Hebrew