Ref: 27/2023

Date: 25 May 2023

On Thursday, 25 May 2023, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) concluded two training courses on “Monitoring and Documenting Violations and Mechanisms for Preparing and Writing UN Reports: Convention on Rights of Child as a Model.” The 20-hour training courses targeted 50 female and male participants from 45 children’s Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in the Gaza Strip and was held from 08 to 25 May 2023 in Gaza City.

This training course comes as part of PCHR’s efforts to build the capacities of male and female staff members at the CBOs active in child rights advocacy locally and internationally in light of the recurrence of violations against children in Palestine due to the Israeli systematic practices in disregard for the principle of the best interests of the child, such as killing, targeting, and arresting children in addition to the discrimination and community violence children are exposed to locally and ignoring their role and voices by not paying attention to their opinions necessary for protecting and advocating their rights.

The training aims to build the capacities of the female and male staff members at children’s CBOs and provide them with theoretical and practical knowledge on the mechanisms of monitoring and documenting child rights violations in accordance with the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, mechanisms of preparing, writing, presenting and discussing national and parallel reports submitted to international committees, and introducing them to the universal periodic review of state parties’ obligations under international conventions.

The training also helps the female and male participants raise awareness of child’s rights, monitor and follow up violations that jeopardize their rights ensured by international conventions, and address and advocate them locally and internationally to improve the reality of children in Palestine.

The training course addresses many theoretical and practical topics: Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols, rules of procedures and working methods of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, mechanisms of monitoring and documenting human rights violations and guidelines on meetings with child victims of violations, theoretical and practical training on the mechanisms of preparing and writing international reports, and mechanisms of preparing, writing, presenting and discussing national and parallel reports.

This training course comes under the project “Strengthening the Role of CSOs to Fulfill Children’s Rights,” which is a collaboration between PCHR and Save the Children in coordination with CBOs and is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

At the end of the training course, certificates were distributed to male and female participants who commended the important topics addressed by the training course that enhanced their knowledge and introduce them to new issues in a way that would help them advocate child’s rights, especially in preparing and writing parallel reports.