Israel
Legal support , Social justice
Hijri Unknown 1399-Present (AH); Common Era 1979-Present (CE)
Insaf Abu-Shareb was raised in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Sder'; she lives in Meitar. She is a certified mediator and has a private law practice specializing in family law. Insaf has been working to advance Bedouin women's status in the Negev and supporting them accessing their rights. Previously, she directed rights centers for Bedouin women of the Itach Ma'aki (Women Lawyers for Social Justice) and WAC-Maan organizations, working in family law and welfare rights, including representing women in various courts. Insaf worked to bring social, communal, and policy change on family violence issues, such as, the murder of women [honor killing], polygamy, and Bedouin women's participation in politics. She initiated and led the first public protest and demonstration against the murder of a Bedouin woman. She also won a legal victory on the rights of deserted Bedouin wives to receive welfare, out of recognition of their particular and complex circumstances in the shadow of polygamy. Insaf works to promote change and to address the phenomenon of polygamy in the Bedouin community. These efforts have led to the establishment of an inter-ministerial commission chaired by the Ministry of Justice director to produce a report on the issue and establish a team for follow up and implementation – of which she is a member. Insaf holds a master's in gender studies from Bar-Ilan University and a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from Netanya Academic College.
