UNICEF has denounced the widespread and systematic ill-treatment Palestinian child detainees are subjected to during their arrest, transfer and interrogation in the Israeli military detention system.
In a briefing paper titled “Children in Israeli military detention: observations and recommendations,” the children’s agency points out that based on an analysis of the legal framework and testimonies from children on the violations of their rights in detention, “there appears to be a pattern of ill-treatment during the arrest, transfer and interrogation of child detainees.”
According to the UNICEF report estimates, 700 Palestinian children aged 12 to 17, most of them boys, are arrested, interrogated and detained by the Israeli military, police and security agents every year in the occupied West Bank.
The report which states that child detainees are mistreated verbally and physically at each stage of the detention procedure, and are sometimes forced to make confessions under coercion, outlines practical measures that could be adopted to improve the treatment of Palestinian children who are in contact with the Israeli military detention system.
The UNICEF document makes a series of recommendations to improve protection for children in conformity with international standards such as the prohibition of blindfolding and solitary confinement of children.
The paper also recommends that, except in extreme circumstances, children should not be arrested at night and a lawyer or family member should be present during interrogation of child suspects.
The paper thus reinforces findings made by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory and the UN Special Committee on Israeli practices in the Occupied Territory in 2012.
UNICEF Denounces Ill-treatment of Palestinian Children in Israeli Military Detention
