Women in the Palestinian territories make up almost half of the population. They hold a significant amount of high-ranked positions in the labor force. And they are considered among the most educated women in the Arab world.

Yet, with all of these advances; Palestinian women still experience a significant amount of discrimination within the society. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 37% of Palestinian women have experienced some form of violence by their husbands in 2011.

“If you ask me why I stayed, I can’t tell you. I don’t know. I was in a violent marriage for over 25 years. And then I finally got out. Its difficult to expect most women to stand up and say I want to leave,” said Ibtisam Mustafa, 49 years, a Palestinian woman who faced domestic violence.

“The violence began verbally in private. It then began to take place in front of people. He then began to hit, sometimes threaten me with my life. He would always remind me that there was a gun under the mattress and can access it any time he would like. He put a knife to my neck once, and threatened my life,” Ibtisam said.