violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

Violence against children in situations of ongoingconflict – the case of the Occupied PalestinianTerritory308Violence against children in the communityViolence threatens children in the streets, at school, and in the home. While there isa paucity of quantitative data on the OPT related to violence within families and thelarger community, one-fifth of the children surveyed in a qualitative study indicatedthat the number one source of violence in their lives was the family, with communityviolence ranked as being the second most common source of violence. 149 Notably, whenasked to identify the perpetrators and places of violence in their lives, 43% of surveyedPalestinian children reported having experienced violence at the hands of more thanone perpetrator; and almost half of them indicated having experienced violence inmore than one place, including their homes and schools. 150More than 50% of the Palestinian children surveyed affirmed that their parents wereunable to meet their care and protection needs. 151 This sentiment was echoed by theparents themselves, with more than 43% of Palestinian parents feeling that they wereunable to provide adequate protection and care for their children. 152 Studies contextualisingthe root causes of violence in the family found that the combination of lack ofresources in the family and subsequent stress that this places on the family caregivers isa significant predictor of family violence in the OPT. 153At home and in the classroom, adult caregivers have noted signs of increasing angerand aggression among children. 154 In school, teachers have noted higher levels of stress,disobedience, irritation, and reduced concentration and confidence among students. 155Teachers also report an increase in violence between students, particularly boys, whileparents report that children are acting in an increasingly aggressive manner towardsfriends and siblings.Safe areas for childrenThe lack of safe places for children to play and interact seems to be related to theprevalence of various forms of violence that take place in areas marked by conflict.Local-level partnerships between municipalities, NGOs and local authorities havebeen forged under the Child-Friendly Cities initiative in four locations in the OPT:two in the Gaza Strip (Rafah and Gaza City), and two in the West Bank (Jenin andJericho).