Newsletter July - August

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear friends and partners,

Please find attached our July-August Newsletter, focusing on children in Palestine.

This month, we chose to tell you more about the fate of more than 300 Palestinian children from 11 to 17 years old who are today detained in Israeli prisons.

The occupation is felt in many ways by children and as Caritas we try to bring them some joy and hope to take their minds away from the difficult situation. This summer again, Caritas organised a summer camp in Jerusalem for the children of drug addicts, giving them opportunities to participate into sports, cultural and artistic activities.

We wish you a beautiful and peaceful summer,

The Caritas Jerusalem team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing up in Palestine,

A story of fear and hope

 

Dear Friends,

Growing up in Palestine is a real challenge. Palestinian children can feel the impact of the conflict everywhere. Tensions at home because of the frustration caused by the occupation, waiting hours at checkpoints and sometimes even arrested by soldiers. This last fact is little known and we wanted to speak this month about the terrible trials experienced by children as young as 11 years old As Caritas we try to give some joy and hope to children. This year again, the summer camp in Jerusalem gives an opportunity for children of drug addicts to express themselves and simply have fun in a safe and healthy environment.

 

 

The children of our future behind bars

 

«The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.”(Dietrich Bonhoeffer) Currently there are approximately 380 Palestinian children ranging from the age of 11 to the age of 17 being held captive by Israeli forces. A large number of them are awaiting trial or a verdict while the rest count their days in a prison cell. Many of the children are serving unjust prolonged sentences for minor offences such as stone throwing or are even detained merely on suspicion. The military court system is by definition inequitable to judge children. Palestinian children are stripped of their rights and of the opportunity of undergoing a fair trial. They are given no leniency and suffer the same interrogation, trial and arrest as adults by the Israeli state. When arrested, Palestinian children are not informed of their rights, and are prohibited any contact with family and loved ones. In many cases, during the interrogation process Israeli soldiers use inhumane means such as assault, batter and even torture in attempts to intimidate the children confess to their “illegal” offences. The impact of prison and the horrifying experiences endured by the child prisoners has a major impact on their future development as individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children behind bars

 

Taher Ouda, a fourteen year old boy from a small Palestinian village south of Nablus tells the story of his arrest. Taher and his father are licensed to deliver domestic cooking gas canisters around the village. The boy claims that he was on his way to deliver gas to a home when he was shot twice in the leg once above and once below the knee. According to the soldiers Taher threw an incendiary device in their direction. Taher was in severe condition and in desperate need of medical care and was transferred to Schneider, the children medical center of Israel. None of his relatives were allowed to stay with him in the hospital. The boy went under the knife and got surgery on his leg. He was then kept in a single room, guarded by two military police officers and chained to his bed with steel arm and leg restraints. A few days later he was handed over to the prison services where he was interrogated and beaten. “I lay on the bed. The soldier tied my hands above my head to the bed, and cuffed my feet to the bed. He started to slap me around. After 20 or 30 slaps, he punched me in the stomach.”said Taher. After days of denying the accusations Israeli police took Taher back home to the Hawara roadblock.

 

The rights of Palestinian children have to be respected. Different groups and organizations seek to secure a safer existence for children. DCI (Defense for Children International) which is a non-governmental organization that fights for the justice, equality, and respect for all children. Specifically they challenge the arbitrary detention of Palestinian children by Israeli occupying forces and work to free the children. They provide the child prisoners with legal representatives to defend them. Aside from DCI other organizations have also pertained in making sure children are treated with equality, respect and the right to life. In 1989, UN Convention on the rights of the child outlines the following four principles, non-discrimination, devotion to best

interest of the child, the right to life survival and development, and respect for the views

of the child. In 1990 Israel signed and ratified the Convention. Ratification obligates the government to respect the Conventions directives but does not make it a law. Since it is not a law in Israel it cannot be used in court to protect the children. The Convention ought to be enforced and imposed in military courts. “Caritas strongly believes that together we must fight for the rights of the children of Palestine. We must secure their right to live and protect their freedom. They are our only hope for a better Palestine.” said Claudette Habesch, Caritas Jerusalem Secretary General.

 

 

Giving a breath of fresh air to children of drug addicts

The Old City Counseling Center holds its 6th summer camp

 

 

For the 6th consecutive time, the OCCC organised a month-long summer camp for children of drug addicts in July. 55 children aged 7 to 12 years old participated to an educative and entertaining programme with sport, artistic and cultural activities. East Jerusalem and the Old City in particular face a widespread drug abuse problem. In 1999 Caritas Jerusalem opened the Old City Counseling Center (OCCC), so far the only organisation in East Jerusalem to give counseling and support services to drug addicts and their families. Drug consumption has a destructive impact on the household and on children in particular. These usually add up to difficult conditions of living as well as lack of space and playgrounds for the children of the Old City. “This camp is a unique occasion for the children to take part in activities they could not do usually, such as going to the swimming pool. Other workshops like painting, drawing or dancing are all occasions to get away from the tensions they feel at home”, explains Sonia Dibeh, social worker at the OCCC. 10 young coordinators received a three-day training of preparation for this camp. “They learned how to lead groups of kids, but also how to transmit the values we believe in”, continues Sonia. “Cultural diversity and religious pluralism is one of these, this is why our children

visited both the Holy Sepulchre and the Al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem”. As to guarantee a summer camp free of charges, funds were granted from different Palestinian institutions. “If a fee was imposed, many of the 31 boys and 24 girls could not participate. We also offered a breakfast every morning and bus cards to some of the kids. The parents were pleased to be able to offer their children a month of entertainment in a safe and happy environment”, concluded Sonia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Developing public health prevention

A cooperation between Caritas Jerusalem and Caritas Spain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caritas Jerusalem and Caritas Spain will soon implement a large programme aimed at improving health care services in the Palestinian Territories. The programme will be carried out in Gaza and the West Bank, in the villages of Aboud and Taybeh. It will focus on public health prevention for high-risk population, emphasizing on the participation of the civil society to reach its goal. “We are eager to start this project that embodies years of close cooperation between our two Caritas branches”, explains Lucia Mendez de Vigo, coordinator of the programme for Caritas Spain. “The Palestinian population lives in harsh conditions, facing isolation because of roadblocks in the West Bank or the blockade in Gaza. With this project, we want to ensure their right to quality health information and services. We can count on the participation of the civil society to make this project meaningful and successful”. The program is funded by the Spanish Ministry for Cooperation, and is expected to start in September 2010

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