Salzburg Global Fellows urge international action in Palestine through justice, advocacy, and solidarity
This thought piece was written by Salzburg Global Fellows Helin Herlbauer, Diana Hysenaj, Marcia Motogo, Helena Boateng, and Amna Ahmed. They attended the Public Policy New Voices Europe session on "Toward Inclusive Democracy: Nurturing Diverse Leadership in Public Policy".
The views expressed in this article are those of these Fellows individually and should not be taken to represent those of Salzburg Global or any organizations to which they are affiliated.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Armed Conflict: Context and Relevance to Palestine:
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations, affecting individuals around the world while leaving lasting scars on communities and societies. While women and girls are disproportionately impacted, men and boys are also victims of SGBV, especially in armed conflict settings. Yet harmful gender norms and societal stigma often prevent male survivors from reporting or seeking support, leaving their experiences underreported and inadequately addressed.
International courts have documented the use of SGBV as a tool of domination and erasure to further genocidal goals. During the Bosnian War, sexual violence against men in detention camps served as part of a systematic strategy of ethnic cleansing. Such atrocities were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of using SGBV as a tool of genocide. These concerns underscore the urgent need for accountability and protection mechanisms for those affected. In Palestine, many are being subjected to systematic violence and mass displacement, leaving populations increasingly vulnerable to various forms of SGBV. As such, Israel’s actions in Palestine have been characterized by human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, as acts of genocide - a conclusion echoed by UN experts, highlighting the systemic and deliberate nature of these violations.
When the rule of law collapses and social protections dissolve, perpetrators use sexual violence as a weapon of war to intimidate civilians, destabilize communities, and exert control. In this context, addressing the situation in Palestine is more relevant than ever, given the ongoing humanitarian crisis and its effects on civilizations, which exacerbates vulnerabilities related to SGBV. Palestinians experience layers of violence, as well as entrenched patriarchal norms, that further perpetuate gender-based violence during conflict. Women are often subjected to rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancies, and trafficking, while men may face genital beatings, forced acts of violence, or sexual humiliation in detention centers. The chaos and breakdown of order during conflicts provide impunity for perpetrators and leave survivors without access to justice.
In our analysis, we explore the complexities of preventing SGBV in Palestine, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to create safer, more equitable environments for all.
Challenging Orientalism and Gendered Constructions in Palestine through Education and Solidarity:
Orientalist depictions of Palestinian men and boys as perpetual combatants serve to undermine their experiences of SGBV. Western constructions of Palestinian men are engendered through a process of "Otherization," a term coined by Edward Said in his 1978 book “Orientalism.” He writes, "the Orient has helped to define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting image, idea, personality, experience." Therefore, where the West is constructed as virtuous saviors of the international order, Arab men are depicted as savage and depraved. Law Professor Khaled Beydoun takes this idea further, arguing that the U.S. war on terror created an Arab masculinity that was conflated with terrorism. Under this schema, Arab men are dehumanized, homogenized, and never afforded a civilian status in public discourse.
Due to this, they are deemed as incapable of being victims of SGBV. When an IOF soldier was filmed sexually assaulting a Palestinian man who was kidnapped and placed into Sde Teiman in 2024, the BBC reported the victim as a “suspected Hamas fighter” and a “detainee.” There was no evidence of any affiliation to Hamas, and he had not been arrested for a crime. Similarly, when photos showed Palestinian men stripped of their clothing and forced to kneel on the ground in a street in Beit Lahia, Northern Gaza, in 2023, Israeli officials such as Eylon Levy referred to them as “military-age men who were discovered in areas that civilians were supposed to have evacuated.” In this way, Orientalism and Islamophobia are weaponized as justificatory frameworks to legitimize the SGBV of Palestinian men. Through positioning Palestinian men and boys as enemy combatants, Western media outlets and Western state officials frame the SGBV of Palestinian men as a legitimate form of retribution; this can only be disrupted through anti-colonial and anti-imperial education.
Dismantling ideologies of Orientalism through education and combating epistemic violence is imperative for humanizing Palestinian men and boys. Leveraging the power of student movements globally through freedom libraries, toolkits, teach-ins, encampments, and divestment campaigns remain crucial avenues to dispel the dehumanization of the Palestinian men who are forced to experience SGBV. The kidnapping of Mahmoud Khalil is emblematic of universities’ continuing capitulation to the demands of right-wing extremism and repression of anti-colonial voices. It is imperative now more than ever to be advocating for ideas that mean another world is possible.
Prioritizing Inclusive Psychosocial Support: A Key to Addressing SGBV:
Addressing SGBV requires prioritizing robust psychosocial support services. These services, which cater to individuals' mental, emotional, social, and spiritual needs, are essential for supporting survivors and their communities. However, such services often focus exclusively on women and girls, leaving men, boys, and other underserved groups without adequate support. To effectively confront SGBV, support systems must be inclusive, ensuring equitable access for all. Compassionate, safe, and accessible psychosocial services - whether offered individually or in groups - must be available to all survivors. Strengthening collaborations with SGBV organizations and ensuring active community engagement will reinforce this effort.
Strengthening partnerships with organizations like UNFPA, which is already working with health professionals in Palestine, can expand the reach and impact of training programs for community and religious leaders. As a culturally sensitive area of discussion in Palestine, these leaders play a crucial role in shaping societal attitudes, reducing stigma, and encouraging more individuals to seek help. Engaging these leaders meaningfully helps expand the reach and effectiveness of psychosocial support services. Such an inclusive and community-rooted approach is essential to fostering resilience, supporting survivors, and building solidarity across communities.
Leveraging the European Citizens’ Initiative: A Strategic Approach to Addressing SGBV in Palestine
In considering how to enhance global cooperation, we identified a significant gap within the European Union: There is currently no concrete initiative addressing SGBV as a war crime in Palestine. To help bridge this gap, the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) could be leveraged—a unique mechanism that enables EU citizens to propose new laws and policies. Gathering one million signatures from at least seven EU member states within 12 months prompts the European Commission to respond to the proposal. If accepted, it proceeds to the European Parliament and follows the standard EU legislative process.
The proposed initiative would seek to allocate a portion of the EU budget to:
- Provide support for victims of SGBV from Palestine who seek refuge in Europe, including aid and psychosocial services.
- Raise awareness about the prevalence and impact of SGBV in conflict settings, especially in Palestine.
- Support NGOs actively combating SGBV in war zones by providing them with additional resources to expand their efforts on the ground.
While the European Commission holds authority, citizens possess significant power of influence. By setting a global standard through this action, the EU could encourage other regional and international organizations to take similar measures. The initiative thus aims not only to offer direct support to survivors but also to strengthen the collective sense of responsibility in addressing SGBV globally. Harnessing this mechanism would demonstrate how collective action can drive systemic change.
Our Call to Action: Addressing SGBV and Advancing Justice for Palestine
Our call to action to pressure policymakers toward ending SGBV cannot be accomplished without first ending the current genocide. An end to SGBV in Palestine depends on a lasting ceasefire— in which our advocacy is firmly centered on uprooting the settler colonial and imperialist ideology that is fueling violence in the region.
SGBV is not merely a byproduct of conflict but is often systematically employed to inflict psychological trauma, emasculate, and dismantle the social fabric of targeted communities. As the United Nations report highlights, Israeli forces are actively committing acts of sexual violence against Palestinians, which have been determined as "genocidal acts" by human rights organizations. These instances underscore the intrinsic link between genocidal campaigns and the strategic use of SGBV.
Efforts to combat SGBV in conflict zones concurrently address and seek to end the overarching genocidal acts facilitating this violence. Only then can we begin to advocate for increased aid and funding for psychosocial support - specifically through a survivor-led advocacy approach. The EU has the authority, and we, as the public, have the influence to put pressure on institutions to do their job.
Helin Herlbauer, Diana Hysenaj, Marcia Motogo, Helena Boateng, and Amna Ahmed are members of the third cohort of the Salzburg Global Public Policy New Voices Europe program. They attended the session on "Toward Inclusive Democracy: Nurturing Diverse Leadership in Public Policy" in October 2024.
Learn more about the Public Policy New Voices Europe program.
