Ref: 40/2022

Date: 8 December 2022

On Friday, 25 November 2022, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) concluded a training program on “Monitoring and Protecting Child Rights”.  The training was attended by 26 children representing 15 child organizations in the Gaza Strip. The 60-hour training course was held from 29 October 2022 to 24 November 2022.

This training program comes within PCHR’s project “strengthen Role of Civil Society Organizations,” which is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in partnership with Save the Children and in coordination with community organizations.

This training aims to raise children’s awareness on national and international conventions pertaining to child rights, and to enhance their role in monitoring, documenting, and reporting violations against children. The training also intends to empower children to expose child rights violations, lead on data collection, accountability and defending their rights. Additionally, the training focused on building children’s capacities to support and influence the government at both the national and international levels through setting high-quality structures and frameworks to realize children rights and promote more inclusive and democratic practices by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

The training program was divided into three main components:

1. Introductory training on the international human rights law; international conventions signed by the State of Palestine; mechanisms for monitoring and documenting human rights violations; violence against children and the national strategy to reduce it; empowering children in community participation, leadership, and accountability; and international and domestic protection for children.
2. Theoretical and practical training on communication skills, i.e., speaking and dealing with children; debating and advocacy for child rights issues; and how to prepare, write and lead initiatives.
3. United Nations human rights mechanisms; preparing and writing international reports strategies; how to prepare and write official international reports and shadow reports; submission and follow-up on individual complaints.

In conclusion of the course, PCHR organized a closing ceremony, where Abdul Halim Abu Samra, Head of PCHR’s Training Unit, emphasized that this training is PCHR’s contribution to dissemination and promotion of children’s rights in the Palestinian society, providing opportunities and space for children to monitor, advocate and defend their rights. Abu Samra pointed out that this training coincided with the World Children’s Day, which is celebrated on November 20^th and devoted by the international community to promote, respect and protect child’s rights worldwide.

This occasion comes this year in light of difficult circumstances that have exacerbated the conditions of the children, who already live in an exceptional situation.  The conditions of around 43.9% of the Palestinian Children (41.7% in the West Bank and 47.3% in the Gaza Strip) have been affected by the Israeli occupation’s systematic attacks and racist measures, which jeopardize their human rights, and by the Palestinian internal division that has impeded all attempts to enact laws that are more equitable to children. Abu Samra expressed his hope that the training might contribute to improving the reality of child rights in such conditions within the Palestinian society, stressing that PCHR will continue to work with them and intensify efforts with partners to develop such programs in a way that contributes to building a generation of children fully aware and capable of leading the change and defending their rights.

For their part, the participants stressed the importance of the course, gained knowledge in human rights conventions in general and children’s rights in particular as the course was characterized with its rich topics that they were introduced to for the first time, especially how to prepare and write international reports pertaining to child rights, which will enable them to take part in the preparation of national and shadow reports, monitor and document violations, prepare initiatives, accountability and advocacy campaigns for child rights.

It is noteworthy that this group of children will be added to the General Authority of the Palestine’s Children Council- Gaza Strip, which was established in 2021 under the supervision of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and in partnership with Save the Children. The council is a small and non-governmental body comprised of children aged 12-17 years, representing the five governorates of the Gaza Strip. It aims to promote the genuine participation of Palestinian children in all issues related to their lives and empower them to improve and shed light on the status of children’s rights.