Palestinian Children: The Decades of Abuse You Don’t Know About
We have all witnessed and know what is happening to the Children of Gaza. But few know just how horrific the treatment of Palestinian Children by the Israeli government truly is, or that it’s been happening for decades with the full knowledge of governments worldwide. Yet nothing has been done to stop it.
It is estimated that 44% of Palestinians killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza are Children. Over 17,000 Palestinian Children have been orphaned or separated from their parents. Palestine now has more child amputees than any other country in the world. According to UNICEF, Gaza is the world’s most dangerous place to be a child.
These facts alone should be enough for anyone to take action to protect Palestinian Children. We shouldn’t need to refer to international law to make the case for the safety and protection of Children - every child deserves protection, care, and the right to simply be a child. But despite international laws that are meant to shield Children from harm, Palestinian Children continue to suffer some of the worst systemic abuses in the world. For over 75 years, their abuse has continued at the hands of Israel throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly for thousands detained and imprisoned by the Israeli government, military, and courts.
There are countless reports published by established global organizations documenting the abuse of Palestinian Children. But imagine how horrific the treatment must be for these numbers to come from just one report - published by Save the Children:
Israel is the only country in the world that automatically and systematically prosecutes Children in military courts. Palestinian Children are the only Children globally subjected to this, in courts that fail to meet fair trial standards.
In the last 20 years, an estimated 10,000 Palestinian Children have been held in the Israeli military detention system.
Every year, approximately 500–700 Palestinian Children are detained by Israeli forces. No Israeli child goes through this.
The most common charge against these Children is stone-throwing, with a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Nearly 60% of Palestinian child detainees are transferred out of the West Bank to prisons inside Israel (which many don't realize is a direct violation of international law, specifically Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention).
Ill-treatment in the Israeli military detention system is “widespread, systematic, and institutionalized,” beginning from the moment of arrest and continuing throughout detention.
More than half (53%) of Children are arrested during violent night raids on their homes.
Almost a quarter (24%) of Children are physically abused at the moment of arrest.
Most Children (89%) are blindfolded or hooded during detention, and 86% report being strip-searched.
52% of detained Children were threatened with harm to their families to extract confessions; more than 90% of those held in solitary confinement provided confessions.
81% of Children were physically beaten at least once, 43% were beaten multiple times, and 88% were denied healthcare even when it was urgently needed.
Over a quarter of Children under the age of 15 (26%) meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
59% of Children report not feeling safe outside their homes after their release, a testament to the lasting trauma of their detention.
“In every respect, the Israeli military detention system appears designed to render Palestinian Children defenceless,” per the Save the Children report.
When the abuse of Children reaches this level of cruelty, it is beyond comprehension. If you stand against just one thing in this genocide of the Palestinian people, let it be the inconceivable abuse that Palestinian Children endure.
Download the report by Save the Children or simply search on the web for: Abuse of Palestinian children by Israel
Free the Children. Free Palestine.
