Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality
פורום דו-קיום בנגב לשוויון אזרחי
منتدى التعايش السلمي في النقب من أجل المساواة المدنية

There is an urgent need to integrate Arab Bedouin women into the work force

12.05.2020

A telephone survey conducted by Ajeec during the COVID-19 lock-down, among Arab Bedouin women in the unrecognized villages, found that 40% of the women needed food supplies for their families,and 26% of the women said that they relied on on social security benefits.

The pandemic has led to an overall crisis in employment in the Bedouin communities in the Naqab, which could also lead to an increase in poverty rates. In a document we submitted together with Sidreh Association to the Special Committee on Welfare and Employment in the Knesset (May 12, 2020), we demanded that the government prepare a plan to promote the employment of Arab Bedouin workers in the Naqab, in particular the employment of Arab Bedouin women living in unrecognized villages.

Photo by: Rimāl Abu al-Qiʿān, Umm al-Ḥīrān, April 2016.