The European Union, in partnership with the non-government Sharek Youth Forum, on Thursday organised a cycling event in the West Bank city of Jericho to raise awareness of women’s rights and protection.
Seventy Palestinians, including men and women, took part in the event, which was part of a 16-day campaign to fight gender-based violence.
The participants started their journey from Hisham’s Palace, an archaeological landmark north of Jericho, to Bab Al Shams Park in the city.
Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, the EU representative in Palestine, said that “we are here to say that the consequences of the novel coronavirus and the lockdown have negatively affected the life of women and children.”
“The closure imposed on the Palestinian territories, as well as the countries around the world, has contributed to a significant increase in the rate of violence against women,” he added.
Bader Zamarah, the event’s organizer, told Xinhua that the event aims to tell people that women are an essential part of the community.
“We should protect women from all kinds of violence, including domestic violence that has been doubled amid the novel coronavirus,” he said.