Every time little Malak, 4, watched the sky brightening, she shut her eyes wishing it will not come near her tiny home in Ramallah.
What Malak was scared of was not any normal sparkling or fireworks but it was death that terrified her. The closer the sounds and lights of the Israeli bombing, and firing bullets, the more she would be startled in terror.
But this time Malak’s eyes were shut forever and no bomb could ever traumatize her. This innocent child was killed with her brother Barkat, 7, by Jewish terrorist who planted a bomb near their home.
It is this merciless Israeli bomb that attacks their childhood and steals their future from them. Malak’s death experience is the harsh reality, which every child of Palestine dreads.
Hundreds of other Palestinian children never sleep spending all night running from one side of the excessive lethal force, firing rubber coated metal bullets and live ammunition including high velocity bullets at demonstrators.
Those who died are considered as fortunate martyrs. Although they experienced beatings, severe injuries and bled to death but at least their torture ended. The survivals are enduring untold suffering; they are being hit by machine gunfire from helicopters, with live ammunition, dum- dum bullets that are internationally banned.
They have inflicted wounds, which will have permanent disabilities. As the Palestinian doctors and other International experts from the Palestinian Relief Committee commented that there are 11,000 injuries inflicted during this Intifada, of which 1500 is a result of the fragmenting bullets fired by M16 ammunition.
The reality seems to be much worse, the brutality of the Israeli forces is escalating, the death toll is rising and the children are terrified. For them surviving the day is the hope for tomorrow.
So much torture is a major violation of the human rights laws. It is submitted that detaining children and torturing them would amount to a breach of (Article 37) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment”.
Imprisoning children with adults seriously violates the law, as it is specified in Paragraph C of (Article 37) that “Every child deprived of Liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. In particular every child shall be separated from adults”.
Further more, torturing prisoners violates (Article 137) of the Geneva Convention of 1949.
Many reports including, UNICEF, United Nations of High Commission for Human Rights, Palestinian Human Rights group revealed that all the injuries that have been inflicted on the Palestinians were on the upper parts of the body.
As 72 her visit to the occupied territories that the deteriorating conditions are causing physical and psychological effects.
According to voluntary organizations that take care of children traumatized by war, violence and exile, the children of Palestine are the most affected in this uprising.
They are suffering from a wide range of symptoms; anxiety, sleep disturbance, nightmares, lack of appetite, learning difficulties and depression.
The Red Cross International committee reported that the young participating in this uprising is a tiny minority. As the UNICEF confirms that they represent just one percent in these confrontations. This contradicts the Western media and the Israeli authorities explaining the heavy death toll amongst children claiming that they are being used as shields.
Although we refuse justifying the killing of innocent children for any reason, the reality opposes such a statement.
The brutal fact is that most children are in fear of the onset of violence, they are confined in their home all human rights organizations and international community, leaving us wondering when the world intends to take action rather than just standby and watch them die.
(From: Members of the General Union of Palestinian Women(GUPW))
