Right now, the sexual and gendered violence Palestinian men and women face under the genocidal Israeli occupation is being reported on more than ever in modern history. This is not only a human rights issue, but also categorically a feminist one. Israel intentionally dehumanizes Palestinians by taking away their bodily autonomy, whether that be in the war zone, in their own homes, or in Israeli prisons.
The constant bombardments and assaults in Gaza have also impacted Palestinian women's ability to give birth, presenting another method of ethnic cleansing. Under the Israeli blockade, 1 in 3 pregnancies are miscarried — this is reproductive violence. Women's organizations everywhere should be platforming the Palestinian experience. True feminism involves accountability for human rights abuses at the hands of colonial violence, and reproductive justice means working to ensure that these crimes can never be committed again.
The Center for Reproductive Rights is the first of many organizations we are calling on as part of CODEPINK's Feminists: Stand with Palestine campaign. They are a global legal organization that upholds reproductive and sexual rights for women, not only in courts but also through consultations with other human rights organizations. They are active worldwide, fighting for reproductive and sexual health as a basic human right from the U.S. to Africa to Asia — but somehow Palestine is missing from the picture!
Sign this petition to encourage The Center for Reproductive Rights to speak up about the sexual and gendered violence in Palestine!
Dear Center for Reproductive Rights,
Your organization has done some amazing work for the feminist movement! Your commitment to reproductive and sexual health globally is truly inspiring. According to your website, your work upholds reproductive and maternal justice for all women worldwide:
"Everyone has the right to respectful, quality maternal health care. This right applies to all, no matter their race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, geographic location, or financial situation. This care should be accessible and free from discrimination, coercion, and violence."
"Risks like sexual violence, human trafficking, and forced marriages increase during conflict and humanitarian emergencies, while access to reproductive health information and services is too often cut off or otherwise unavailable. These abuses, paired with a lack of access to information and services, can lead to unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, higher maternal mortality, and human rights violations."
CFFR obviously values equitable resources and accountability for women and those affected worldwide; it is clear in the organization's mission statements quoted above.
Right now in Palestine, women are facing a maternal health crisis with hardly any functioning hospitals, dangerous sanitation levels, and an overall stressful quality of life. A staggering report was recently published highlighting the unprecedented rise of miscarriages in Gaza under Israel's blockade. In 2022, Gaza reported 57,000 births. In 2024, just one year after Israel's genocidal campaign began, the birth rate in Gaza dropped to a staggering 38,000. Then, from December 2025 to April 2026, in the span of just six months, birth rates in Gaza declined by 67 percent.
Additionally, another new report details Israel's systemic use of sexual and gendered violence in Palestine, including rape, sexual enslavement, and sexual harassment of women, girls, men, and boys. You can find the full report here: https://predatorystate.org/.
We ask that your organization, as one that stands with women and against gendered violence, share these reports in your networks and uplift the findings regarding maternity health and sexual violence as it affects Palestinian women and families.
CODEPINK believes that it would align with your mission to fight against human rights abuses in Palestine, as you have done in other parts of the world.
It would be incredibly impactful for your organization to engage with the reports of sexual abuse in Palestine via your website communications, campaigns, or other work, and to cite the reports and circulate them to your network.