Background
Children and Youth in Palestine
One of the greatest tragedies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the 40-year long Occupation is the consequences it has for children - the most innocent and vulnerable part of society. Since the eruption of the Second Intifada in 2000, conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have rapidly deteriorated. In a context of almost daily violence and aggression, young Palestinians' experiences and perceptions of the world are increasingly shaped by frustration, accumulated trauma and feelings of impotence and hopelessness.Between 2000 and 2004 a total of 61 children were killed in Jenin only, whereas in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a whole, 676 children were killed and around 14,000 injured in the same period. While around 12% of the injured children suffer permanent disability, as many as 4,848 children were also left homeless as a result of house demolitions.
Jenin Camp
Jenin Refugee Camp is located next to the town of Jenin in the northern part of the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. The camp, which was set up in 1953 and is run by the UN, today houses nearly 16,000 Palestinian refugees, almost half of which are estimated to be under 18 years of age. Having been under Jordanian rule for almost 19 years, the area was occupied by Israel in the 1967 war and subsequently handed over to the Palestinian Authority in 1996.In 2002 Israel reinvaded the camp as part of its "Operation Defensive Shield" which brought one of the fiercest battles of the Second Palestinian Intifada (uprising) to Jenin Camp. Altogether 75 civilians, fighters and soldiers died in the battle which left most of the central camp in ruins.
Childhood under Occupation
Almost every child in Jenin Refugee Camp has witnessed actual or threatened death, experienced serious physical injury, or a threat to their physical and/or psychological integrity. Many exhibit symptoms of severe emotional problems, including difficulty with concentration, aggressive behaviour, sleeplessness and nightmares, bed-wetting, withdrawal and a range of psychosomatic symptoms.This situation is directly opposed to that of an ideal childhood, in which children investigate and experience the world through play. Instead of being able to carelessly experiment with the world, develop a sense of coherence and create the skills needed to manage their tasks and overcome problems successfully, these children grow up in fear, oppression and humiliation. Seeing their parents incapable of protecting them, children lose their source of safety and trust and, instead, tend to develop feelings of helplessness and victimisation.