On The Occasion of International Day of Non-Violent Resistance
"Non-violence is a positive approach for achieving freedom and improving communication and mental well-being"

We are emphasizing our convictions that the individual is the product of the environment. A violent and oppressive environment is damaging to self and community. We are determined in this day to raise our voices together with all those who believe in nonviolence to enhance the values of peace and human dignity. Non-violence is not only a human value, but also a source of power to conquer evil and hatred within and outside.

Nonviolence has proven throughout history that it can achieve liberation against occupation, apartheid, and colonization. The first Palestinian Intifada is a good example in changing stereotypical images of Palestinian people from being terrorists to victims of occupation and suppression. It opened the eyes of the world that Palestinians are struggling for their basic human rights and freedom for their country in a peaceful manner. The images of children confronting Israeli soldiers and being killed won the hearts of the international community and justice loving world.

A noble example was the Indian revolution led by Mahatma Gandhi when he raised his hands empty of weapons but full of courage and strength. Another example is the South African experience where Nelson Mandela's approach of non-violent resistance made the whole world convinced to boycott the apartheid regime in South Africa until it collapsed. Martin Luther King followed the same approach in his struggle to force the American government to admit the civil liberties of blacks in America and make them equal to whites.

Political and social organized violence constitute a major threat for sound mental health, especially, when it becomes part of the community culture and accepted norms. Then, it turns to be destructive factor for harmony and social peace. It becomes more dangerous when violent behavior is adopted as a model for solving conflicts and dealing with problems in the society. This will undermine tolerance, patience, and supremacy of law and will halt all efforts directed towards genuine social, economical, and political development.

Oppressed people usually identify with their aggressors and turn to be aggressive towards others in their surrounding environment, especially, women and children in the family. This violence and counter-violence creates a vicious circle that deepens hatred, mistrust, and insecurity and many other psychological disorders, which, in turn, influence individual's social relations, belonging, and productivity.

On this occasion, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme stresses the fact that nonviolence should not remain a value only; rather, it should be translated to be a lifestyle and practical approach in the social, legal, and political programs of the governmental and civil society organizations worldwide. GCMHP has already started to translate its convictions about non-violence into various professional programs implemented in the community such as violence-free schools, criminalizing domestic violence against women, and prevention of torture in prisons.

Throughout history violence has brought lots of misery and suffering for many people. Let's try another alternative and give non-violence a chance.