Women Lawyers for Social Justice (in Hebrew: איתך – משפטניות למען צדק חברתי; in Arabic: إتاخ معكِ – حقوقيات من أجل العدالة الإجتماعية; known as "Itach Ma'aki") is a non-profit, voluntary association founded in 2001 in Israel.
Among the Association's activities are legal aid and representation to women in various areas of the law, including housing and employment; work to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325; advocacy and lobbying on behalf of women at the governmental levels of the Knesset, High Court of Justice, government ministries, and municipalities;[2] creation of new models for local government to implement gender mainstreaming, and any other issue in the public or private sphere involved with promoting justice and equality.
[5] In the public advocacy sphere, Itach Ma'aki joined a group of Israeli organizations in 2009, which approached the Attorney General to examine whether the IDF violated international law during the 2008-2009 Gaza War.
One of the main areas the center assists with is with Social Security rights, especially income guarantee stipends for single mothers and women in polygamous marriages.
[6] In addition, the center works on behalf of Bedouin women's rights through petitions to the High Court of Justice, attending Knesset conferences,[9] and publishing reports and position papers in collaboration with other organizations in the Negev.
[10] In 2013, Itach Ma'aki published a groundbreaking report, which, for the first time, provides statistics on the extent of domestic violence against Bedouin women in the Negev.
[22] Therefore, since 2007, the Association has been acting through petitions to the High Court of Justice, the establishment of conferences and seminars,[23] and participation in committees in the Knesset, in order to implement and advance the resolution's commitments.
The group’s goal is to engender critical thinking for getting the issue onto the public agenda and changing the prevailing situation in which policy regarding young women is shaped without their participation and without their knowledge.
[27] Together with the Heschel Center for Sustainability, Civic Leadership, and the Heinrich Bőll Foundation, Itach Ma'aki is working to promote the 2030 Agenda in Israel.
Activities include the November 2018 milestone conference, attended by 120 civil society delegates and the issuing of the July 2019 Government Report, drafted by an inter-ministerial task force appointed by the Prime Minister, and which will be submitted to the United Nations.
[4] This project arose as a result of women’s experiences in the institutional health system in Israel and of participants in the Legal Feminism Clinic run by Itach Ma'aki, recognizing the inherent difficulties and the complex balance of power present in the doctor-patient relationship.