Report says Arrest of Children Traumatizes them, their Families-Past 10yrs 8000 Palestinian children Detained

Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA 

JERUSALEM, March 12, 2012 – Child detention causes significant trauma to children and their families and disrupts existing social structures, Save the Children and the East Jerusalem YMCA said in a report issued Monday.

“Child detention is a serious issue in the occupied Palestinian territory,” said the report. “Over the past 10 years, over 8000 children have been detained.”

It said that currently 170 children are held in prison, of which 26 are between the age of 12 and 15 years.

“Detention has a devastating impact on children, their families and their societies,” said the report.

“Children suffer from effects including post-traumatic stress disorder, fear of leaving the house, in addition to physiological symptoms such as anxiety attacks and nightmares. Families become overprotective and refuse to let children out of the house,” it said, adding, “On a larger scale families and societies suffer from stigmatization and fear, they become increasingly conservative and are afraid of the reoccurrence of detention.”

In their joint report, Save the Children and EJ-YMCA focus on the development of the child, the legal framework involved in child detention, the current response and the actual impact of detention on children, families and communities.

The report is based on in-depth interviews with children and their families from East Jerusalem and the West Bank who benefited from Save the Children Sweden’s and EJ-YMCA’s “Post-trauma Rehabilitation of Palestinian Ex-Detainee Children in the West Bank Program.”

One of the interviewed children described his loss of hope after his detention experience in the following words: “After my release I isolated myself after my experience. I didn’t want to interact socially. I barely left the house, always preferred to be alone, got angry at little things. As for the future: whatever happens, happens. I don’t really make plans anymore.”

“Save the Children Sweden fights for the rights of the child, and has always followed a rights-based approach, which is reflected through the work we do with our partners. It is essential for children who have been detained to receive the necessary support upon their release so that they can achieve proper re-integration into society”, said Eyad Al-Araj, Country Director of Save the Children Sweden.

“The grave repercussions that detention leaves on children cannot be neglected”, said Nader Abu Amsha, the director of the East Jerusalem YMCA Rehabilitation Program. “With this report we call upon all relevant bodies to put an end to child detention and to prioritize the re-integration of this vulnerable group into Palestinian society.”

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