The Independent Commission for Human Rights - ICHR
57
2.1.2.3 Complaints by category
1. Complaints by children
In 2021, the ICHR received 52 complaints involving children, including 16 in the West Bank and
36 in the Gaza Strip. These were filed by children’s parents. During routine visits to prisons, ICHR
field researchers also documented some complaints made by children themselves.
Complaints included 88 claims of abuses of children’s right to physical integrity in both the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip. Claims featured physical or mental violence, torture, threats, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and failure to provide needed protection by government institutions to
children in need of protection. Some children also claimed that they were beaten in schools. In this
context, complaints included claims of more than one violation(s) of the right to physical integrity
by the same victim.
A detailed account shows that 16 complaints were lodged by in the West Bank, including 20 claims
of infringements on children’s right to physical integrity. All 36 complaints filed in the Gaza Strip
involved 68 similar claims.
Chart 3: Patterns of violations of children’s right to physical integrity
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
43
25
18
2
Physical or mental
violence
Torture and threats
Cruel treatment
failure to provide
protection to battered
persons against
violence
A. B., a 17-year-old boy and high school (Tawjihi) student, stated that, on 18 November
A. B., a 17-year-old
highbeaten
schoolwhile
(Tawjihi)
stated that,
on 18
November
2021, he
2021, heboy
wasand
severely
he wasstudent,
being detained
by Police
personnel
in Ramallah.
was severely The
beaten
whilewas
he abused
was being
detainedofby
Police personnel
in Ramallah.
The student
student
on account
participating
in a sit-in
protest in front
of the
was abused onRamallah
account MoE
of participating
in a sit-in
protest
in frontthat
of the
Ramallah
MoEbedirectorate
directorate district
office,
demanding
academic
material
excluded
district office,from
demanding
academic
material
be excluded
the high
school
(Tawjihi)
examthe highthat
school
(Tawjihi)
examinations.
He from
was taken
to and
detained
for several
inations. He was
taken
to
and
detained
for
several
hours
in
the
Ein
Musbah
Police
station.
He
was
hours in the Ein Musbah Police station. He was released on the same day.
released on the same day.
R. B., a 16-year-old boy, reported that he was subjected to severe beating and torture by
R. B., a 16-year-old
boy, reported
that he was subjected
severeinbeating
and the
torture
interrogainterrogators
at the Counter-Narcotics
Policetostation
Gaza with
aim by
of extracting
tors at the Counter-Narcotics
Police
station
in
Gaza
with
the
aim
of
extracting
confessions
of drug
confessions of drug abuse. Denying what was claimed by the victim, the MoI Controller
abuse. Denying
what said
wasthat
claimed
by the victim,
the MoI
General
thatany
an investiGeneral
an investigation
committee
wasController
established,
but did said
not give
details.
gation committee
was
established,
but
did
not
give
any
details.
The
findings
of
the
investigation
The findings of the investigation remained unknown. The ICHR notes that most replies of
remained unknown.
The ICHR
notesfor
that
most replies
of to
thetheagencies
responsible
vithe agencies
responsible
reported
violations
ICHR letters
were notfor
up reported
to the mark.
olations to the ICHR letters were not up to the mark. Without details being furnished, these replies
Without details being furnished, these replies were unduly brief and denied facts.
were unduly brief and denied facts.
According to complaints, violation of children’s right to physical integrity was not only
addressed in the context of criminal investigations. Other children were abused in care
Seventh
Report and
2021
homes of the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) Twenty
as well
as inAnnual
correction
rehabilitation centres. In particular, these children were subjected to ill-treatment or cruel
treatment by the he staff working in those institutions. A female inmate in the Care Home