Defence for Children International Palestine

Due to the deteriorating situation on the ground for Palestinian kids, U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (MN-04) initiated a letter calling on President Barack Obama to appoint a Special Envoy for ‪#‎Palestinian‬ ‪#‎Children‬. What did the U.S. Department of State think about the proposal? Watch and then take action!

» Take action: http://bit.ly/SpecialEnvoyAction

Earlier this month, we asked you to contact your representative and urge them to sign on to a letter urging President Barack Obama to appoint a Special Envoy for ‪#‎Palestinian‬ ‪#‎Children‬. We need you to make a call today!

» Call your lawmaker: http://bit.ly/1Rdb97A

"Instead of growing up with a negotiated settlement founded on international law, justice, and respect for human dignity, ‪#‎Palestinian‬ youth have had their futures stifled and suppressed by systemic discrimination, constant settlement expansion, and widespread and systematic use of excessive force," writes Defence for Children International Palestine's Brad Parker in The Hill.

» Read the article: http://bit.ly/1NAHvOZ
(Photo: AFP / Jaafar Ashtiyeh)

Since ‪#‎Israel‬’s 50-day strike on ‪#‎Gaza‬ nearly two years ago, many ‪#‎Palestinian‬ families, whose houses were reduced to rubble or otherwise rendered uninhabitable, continue to wait for new homes. ‪#‎Nakba‬

» Read the feature: http://bit.ly/2585pt1
(Photo: AFP / Said Khatib)

TAKE ACTION: The situation on the ground for ‪#‎Palestinian‬ children is rapidly deteriorating. We need you to take action. Contact your representative today to urge President ‪#‎Obama‬ to appoint a Special Envoy for Palestinian Children.

» Write to your lawmaker: http://bit.ly/SpecialEnvoyAction

TAKE ACTION: The situation on the ground for ‪#‎Palestinian‬ children is rapidly deteriorating. We need you to take action. Contact your representative today to urge President Obama to appoint a Special Envoy for Palestinian Children.

» Write to your lawmaker: http://bit.ly/SpecialEnvoyAction

‪#‎Israel‬ has the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes between 500 and 700 children in military courts each year. ‪#‎nowaytotreatachild‬

» Read the news alert: http://bit.ly/1XyieVC
(Photo: EAPPI / M. Guntern)

Although the ‪#‎Israel‬ Prison Service administers both prisons, ‪#‎Ofek‬ prison — where Israeli juvenile criminal offenders are held — has a robust, therapeutically-driven educational program, while ‪#‎Megiddo‬ has adopted a bare bones approach. ‪#‎Palestinian‬ child detainees like Mesleh (pictured below), who suffer violent arrest, coercive interrogation, and lengthy separation from their families, receive no formal psychological services. ‪#‎nowaytotreatachild‬

» Read the feature: http://bit.ly/1VmipVW

Abdullah (pictured below) did not return to school after his 14-month sentence in ‪#‎Megiddo‬ and now lays tiles. While ‪#‎Israeli‬ juvenile criminal offenders enjoy a learning center, many extracurricular activities, and even a petting zoo, ‪#‎Palestinian‬ juveniles imprisoned in Megiddo can only study Arabic and Math. ‪#‎nowaytotreatachild‬

» Read the feature: http://bit.ly/1qmyPkd

Article 37 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children deprived of their liberty “shall have the right to maintain contact with his or her family through correspondence and visits, save in exceptional circumstances.” But for more than 6 months, Taher's family members were denied visitation permits while he was in ‪#‎Megiddo‬ prison. ‪#‎nowaytotreatachild‬

» Read the feature: http://bit.ly/1VfHcLp

Ammar (pictured below) spent eight months of 2014 as one of the youngest child prisoners in ‪#‎Megiddo‬. As of December 2015, Megiddo prison was housing 20.5 percent of the 420 ‪#‎Palestinian‬ male child prisoners being held in ‪#‎Israeli‬ detention facilities that month, according to Israel Prison Service data. ‪#‎nowaytotreatachild‬

» Read the feature: http://bit.ly/20cbGgM

At the end of February, a total of 440 Palestinian children were imprisoned in the Israeli military detention system. This is the highest number of child detainees since data became available in January 2008.

» Help us end this: www.nowaytotreatachild.org

Come work with us! Defence for Children International Palestine is hiring a Database Officer who savors creating data visualization content.

» Apply now: http://bit.ly/dcipdatabaseofficer

The selected individual will lead the effort to create a hybrid journalism and advocacy digital platform, focused on the situation of ‪#‎Palestinian‬ children.

» Apply now: http://bit.ly/dcipmanagingeditor

“‪#‎Gazan‬ children are too often casualties of the ‪#‎Israeli‬ military’s actions,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at Defence for Children International Palestine. “International bodies must take meaningful action to bring about ‪#‎accountability‬ for this growing toll of child fatalities.”

» Read the news alert: http://bit.ly/1TNQJZG

Defence for Children International Palestine and American Friends Service Committee are excited to launch our new ‪#‎nowaytotreatachild‬ campaign website. Join us to build a movement demanding justice for Palestinian children.

» Join the cause: http://www.nowaytotreatachild.org

This year, Defence for Children International Palestine is a proud sponsor of the UNRWA USA ‪#‎Gaza5K‬ Walk/Run in Brooklyn on March 26. We want you on our team! Sign-up today to walk with DCIP!

» Join our team: http://bit.ly/walkwithDCIP

“The improper use of crowd control weapons against children must end immediately,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at Defence for Children International Palestine. “‪#‎Israeli‬ soldiers who aim crowd control weapons at children’s heads and upper bodies at close range must be held accountable for their actions.”

» Read the news alert: http://bit.ly/1QTCGfn

In response to escalating violence, ‪#‎Israeli‬ forces appear to be implementing a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy. According to a witness, an Israeli soldier fired two shots at Mahmoud Mohammad Shaalan, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen, after he was already on the ground. The teenager had allegedly attempted to stab soldiers at a military checkpoint outside ‪#‎Ramallah‬.

» Read the feature: http://bit.ly/1Ttgfn8
(Photo: AFP / Abbas Momani)

“The increasing number of Palestinian kids held in administrative detention is deeply concerning,” said Defence for Children International Palestine's Ayed Abu Eqtaish. “The use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities to arbitrarily detain Palestinian children must stop immediately.”

» Read the news alert: http://bit.ly/1QC59oU
(Photo: AFP / Ahmad Gharabli)