NAGHAM KARAJEH

Gaza- A Palestinian woman security guard, Reem Sukkar stands guard in her uniform at a mall in Gaza City, disregarding social customs and traditional norms, and breaking the barriers of fear in working in the security profession dominated by men.

A university graduate, Reem Sukkar (36) was supported by her spouse during her university education. “My spouse supports me in working as a security guard. Despite social pressure, I keep working as a security guard, disregarding the words and insults I hear. Because our society is a conservative society with its customs and traditions no matter how much we try to change it,” she told NuJINHA.

‘Our society does not accept the presence of women’

Reem Sukkar looked for a job for a long time. “I wanted to work as a security guard. So I went to many companies, banks and commercial centers and applied for a security job. However, I was not employed because our society does not accept the presence of women in this field. In the end, I was employed by this mall as a security guard,” she said. One day, when she wanted to resolve a dispute between two individuals, one of them told her, “I want to talk to a security man, not a woman.”

Reem Sukkar thinks a security guard must “have a strong personality, problem-solving skills and bear responsibility. Women have the capacity to solve problems immediately. Therefore, more women should work in this field. I call on all women, who want to work in this field, to break the barrier of fear and do what they want by ignoring customs, traditions and stereotypes. Today, women’s struggle spreads all around the world. We can overcome barriers by supporting each other.”