On Sunday, the 13 of November the Justice Minister of Belgium Mrs. Laurette Onkelinx visited the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) accompanied by a senior Belgian delegation composed of the Belgian Consul-General in Jerusalem, his deputy, a number of Justice Ministry staff, and Belgian journalists.

Dr. Riyadh El- Zaanoun, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Eyad El Sarraj, Director General, and a number of GCMHP staff, received the guests.

Dr. Zaanoun welcomed the Minister and the accompanying delegation, asserting that this visit represents a nice gesture and hoping it would be the beginning of greater cooperation.

Dr. Zaanoun presented a general overview of the health conditions in Palestine since the Palestinian Authority's inception in 1994, and how medical services have improved, according to different health indicators. He, then, evaluated the traumas and conditions of the second Intifada, which cast a shadow on the performance of the PA due to the detrimental effects, both physically and mentally, of the occupation on the Palestinian people.

On her part, Minister Onklenix thanked the GCMHP on the warm welcome and hospitality, expressing happiness for this visit. She further added that this was her first visit to Palestine, and that she desires to visit civil society associations along with political institutions, in order to learn about the difficult situations the Palestinian people experience and the type of services offered to them.

Dr. El-Sarraj welcomed the Belgian Minister and her accompanying delegation, reiterating the Palestinian people's suffering due to the Israeli occupation's practices, especially the intense mock air raids and sonic bombs over Gaza.

"We believe in the sanctity of life, and condemn violence and terrorism in all its forms and shapes. While we condemn the Israeli violence, we also condemn the Madrid, Amman, Bali and Tel Aviv blasts," Dr. El Sarraj explained.

He also noted that some of the Palestinians' problems were not caused by the occupation alone, but rather by the abuse of authority by some of the PA establishments.

Dr. El Sarraj spoke about the different activities of the Programme, and how it is turned into a center of knowledge, to create a generation of academicians and trained professionals in the field of mental health, active training of other groups in schools, women centers, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies.

Dr. El Sarraj mentioned the effects of the Israeli violence on children, how it was affecting their future psychological growth, and the unprecedented Israeli violence has spread despair and hopelessness that would increase the children's will to become violent and revengeful.

"We are trying to cater to the children's needs through working with families and schools. We consider women as the cornerstone in the relationship with the child, and at the same time we are trying to help women who were subjected to violence and encourage them to take the initiative and work independently," Dr. Sarraj emphasized.

He said the Gaza Strip still suffers greatly, even after the implementation of the Israeli disengagement plan, as Israel controls the land, sea, skies and crossing points, effectively turning Gaza into a big prison. Dr. El Sarraj further noted the election of Amir Peretz as head of the Israeli Labor Party will give some hope for the resumption of peace talks with Israel.

Hala El Sarraj, a psychologist at Women's Empowerment Project (WEP) of GCMHP briefed the visiting Minister on the activities of the WEP in attending to the victims of social and domestic violence. She illustrated that women are often the final recipient of violence by being the escape goats of the family, and that the Project's strategy aims to help women obtain work and be as independent as possible. The goal is to break the vicious cycle of violence and help women solve their problems with alternative methods while raising their society's awareness on women rights and how to respect them to ratify the negative effects of violence on women and the family in general.

Minister Oktlenix expressed her sincere pleasure with this visit, and her positive impression on the GCMHP. She asserted her desire to continue cooperating and supporting the activities of the Programme in the future.