58 The Independent Commission for Human Rights - ICHR 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 homes of the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) as well as in correction and 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 for Girls in Bethlehem stated that she was repeatedly abused by the night supervisor at the care home. As a result, the girl demanded that she be placed in an education centre to pursue her education. Of note, the girl has also been abused by her father and stepmother. So far, the girl’s request went unmet. Her claims were not investigated either. The ICHR receive a collective complaint from children in the Ar-Rabee’ Institute for Social Reform Care in Gaza, stating that they were forced to take part in a military programme under the MoI supervision. During the military training, children were beaten by the officer in charge of the programme. While the MoSD categorically denied the children’s complaint, the ICHR affirms ICHR field researchers’ observations, demonstrating that child in the Ar-Rabee’ Institute for Social Reform Care were subjected to cruel treatment in the context of the said military training exercise. The ICHR documented a complaint by A. A., who claimed that he was beaten by the Youth Programme trainer because he refused to complete the training owing to his illness and critical health condition. ICHR researchers met with children and confirmed all information and observations, including ripped clothes and wounds on hands and legs. The ICHR was informed that children were forced to engage in intense and harsh trainings, which were not commensurate with their abilities. In the course of the training, they were deprived from drinking water and their clothes were ripped. The majority of these children are in so difficult circumstances that it is hard to manage to provide other garments. Thanks to the ICHR monitoring of this complaint, the MoSD change the programme into sports coaching, rather than military training. For children, participation in the programme is voluntary and is no longer compulsory. 2. Complaints by women The ICHR received 55 complaints from women, including 37 in the West Bank and 18 in the Gaza Strip. These complaints featured 86 claims of violations of women’s right to physical integrity, including 44 in the West Bank and 42 in the Gaza Strip. The complaints received by the ICHR revealed multiple patterns of violations of women’s right to physical integrity. These included physical or mental violence, torture, threats, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and failure to provide needed protection by relevant government bodies, particularly in cases of domestic violence. The Situation of Human Rights in Palestine