During the conference held celebrating the International Youth Day titled The Youth Talk: Reclaiming Youth at Risk, Critical voices of young Palestinian Refugees Ramallah
Sharek Youth Forum announces the results of their study on human rights situation in the official refugee camps of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as perceived by the youth
Ramallah – Sharek Youth Forum – August 20th, 2008: The results of the study that were done and announced by Sharek Youth Forum revealed an understanding of human rights violations in general and human rights concepts and abuses specifically those against the youth in Palestinian refugee camps. The results show that the right to life is the first right that is being violated in refugee camps, followed chronologically by the right to personal security, right to health care, the right to freedom of movement, the right to education, the right not to be tortured, the right to a cultural life, among other rights.
The findings also indicated that the groups who suffer mostly from human rights violation in the camps in order are: children, women, youth, old people, and then men. Additionally, those responsible for violations within refugee camps in order are: Israeli authorities, Palestinian authorities, Refugee camp committees, family and relatives, friends and lastly others.
These findings were shown during the conference yesterday (august 20th, 2008) that took place at Sharek Youth Forum as one activity that was carried out by Sharek for the International Youth Day. The conference took place at the Sharek Youth Forum headquarter in Ramallah under the titles banner “The Youth Talk: Reclaiming Youth at Risk”. In retrospect to the study and the announced results, Sharek also announced its new initiative: Youth Journalists for Human Rights, in collaboration with NGO’s, community based organisations, local institutions, a number of refugee camp center representatives as well embassies and consulates based in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt).
The Research and Advocacy unit coordinator, Aia Hijazi, at Sharek Youth Forum stated at the conference that Sharek conducted its study from March 2007 until February 2008, at the official Refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza strip. Consequently she stated that the main methodologies included field visits, in-depth interviews with 600 youth ages 18-25, and secondary quantitative sources, such an UNRWA collected research documents. Hijazi indicated that the needs-assessment survey carried out provided the staff with the bulk of the information regarding the human rights situation in refugee camps as perceived by youth as well as a wide variety of indicators on the economic, social and political situation faced by refugee youth in general. It also revealed a lack of understanding and awareness among the youth of human rights concepts.
Therefore, it became clear that the goals of the study are to fill the gap in research material pertaining to youth and human rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip refugee camps. Secondly, the study seeks to raise awareness of the human rights violations experienced by refugee youth on a daily basis. Thirdly, this study was produced to provide a reference point for refugee youth, to help them gain an insight into the context of refugee camps, and how international human rights standards relate to their particular situation. That to, carry out better activities and campaigns to bring back and maintain their rights.
Hijazi assured that one of the main constraints for the realization of human rights of refugee youth is that in the oPt traditional beliefs and customs negatively affect the empowerment and development of youth. In turn this affects youth participation in social, political and economic life and restricts the development of the youth sector. This assertion is proved by the lack of a suitable legal framework that protects and provides for youth rights. Secondly, refugee youth can be categorized as a group in need of human rights protection because of their refugee status within Palestinian society and the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Right to Education
In her turn, Nada Bladi - the women’s center representative at Al Far’a Refugee camp – presented the results pertaining the right to education. Bladi indicated that there is a lack of sufficient financial resources, a presence of military actions within or close to educational facilities, a lack of adequate resources to ensure good quality education and the presence of violence within the school environment. She stated that 72% of youth interviewed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip stated that they regularly attended school from elementary school through to high school. The percentage is higher in the Gaza Strip (just over 80%), where UNRWA also provides secondary-level education. She asserted that UNRWA in the Gaza Strip provides 9 years of schooling to 195,156 youth in 193 schools and that 67% is the percentage of UNRWA schools that had to establish a DOUBLE-SHIFT system because of overcrowded classrooms and the average number of students in UNRWA school classrooms in the West Bank is 50.
According to the survey, financial problems are one of the main obstacles to the full enjoyment of the right to education for both West Bank and Gaza Strip refugee youth. While it is unsurprising that the main reasons cited by youth in relation to the inaccessibility of education are financial reasons and difficulties in reaching schools, what causes concern are the 30 cases in which the non-attendance of school is due to either early marriage or imprisonment.
Right to Health Care
In her turn, Raja Nassar, from the women’s center in Al Far’a Refugee camp, revealed the findings related to the right of health care. She confirmed the following findings: the limited funding that UNRWA receives means that it cannot provide sufficient staff and adequate services in its health clinics and they generally struggle to cope with the large volume of patients. Besides the UNRWA services, other actors, both public and private, provide basic health care for refugee communities. Unfortunately, these additional clinics are established in only a few camps and usually are not free of charge. According to the survey, the availability and the accessibility of specialised health care is a problem to be found across both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip refugee camps. In fact, both the high cost of specialised health care and the presence of physical barriers such as checkpoints, roadblocks and the separation wall have an extremely detrimental effect on the general health of refugees. The youth surveyed expressed a general discontent in terms of availability of medical personnel and medicines, and accessibility of health care facilities.
Nassar added that of the youth surveyed 73% stated that the time dedicated to them in the health centres was insufficient, and 58% stated that only basic medicines are available, 35% answered that almost all medicines are available, 5% of them stated that all medicines are available and 2% replied that no medicines are available. Almost 80% of those surveyed considered the quality of health care facilities as either good or satisfactory. Of the remaining 20%, 15% stated that the quality of health care facilities is bad and 5% believe it is very bad.
Right to Work
Muhammad Al Titi, from Al Fawwar refugee camp youth center presented from his side the right to work findings of the study stating that there is lack of job opportunities, lack of training for professional skills as well social and gender discrimination at the work environment. 20% of those surveyed are currently employed. The majority is self-employed or employed in a family/private business, followed by a number of youth employed in private companies and only a small percentage employed by the government. And of those surveyed 72% declared that they have faced or are currently facing problems in finding a job and 21% stated that their daily working hours are more than 10.
Right to an Adequate standard of Living
Salam Abu-Awwad from Al-Askar Refugee camp in her turn talked about the study findigs concerning the right to an adequate standard of living. She stated that the in almost all the camps, youth highlighted poor sanitation and hygiene, and degraded housing conditions. Furthermore, when describing the living conditions of their camps refugee youth also mentioned the lack of housing units, overcrowded living environment, structurally unsound and dangerous buildings, unpaved roads inaccessible to old and infirm people, poor sewage treatment and a lack of an adequate water infrastructure.
Abu-Awwad added that the majority of youth interviewed for the study stated that in their communities there are problems related to water availability, affordability, and safety. The main concern of refugee youth is the lack of clean water that often results in the spread many diseases and infections.
Also, According to the survey and interviews, almost all refugee camps in the West Bank face problems with the sewage infrastructure.
The Right of an Individual to visit and communicate with Imprisoned and Detained family members
In his turn, Awwad Ibrahim from Ein Al Sultan Refugee camp youth center presented a brief on the findings concerning the right of an individual to visit and communicate with imprisoned and detained family members. Most of the youth surveyed claimed not to be able or not to have been able to communicate with or visit a member of their family detained in an Israeli prison. This creates difficult living circumstances for the remaining family members and it often requires youth to grow up in harsh conditions, often having to sacrifice their education to provide financial help for their families.
Additionally, Of the youth surveyed 60% have or have had a member of their family imprisoned. Of the incarcerated, 32% were in prison for less then 1 year, 37% between 1 and 5 year, and 31% for more than 5 years. And 40% were unable to visit their family members while imprisoned. The remaining 60%, who had permission, stated that they were only able to visit very infrequently. One third of all the youth surveyed in the Gaza Strip declared that they had a family member in prison for more than 5 years
36 youth from the Gaza Strip stated that they never visited their family member in prison.
The Right to Personal Security and not to be subjected to Violence
From his side, Baha Sari from youth center at Al-Balata Refugee camp, presented the study findings concerning the right to personal security and not to be subjected to violence. He stated that the environment faced by youth in refugee camps is marked by the continuous presence of Israeli military actions. Amongst others, house demolitions, killings, arrest and imprisonment of residents, curfews, and incursions are part of the daily life of refugees. Besides the innumerable acts of physical damage, these horrendous actions leave refugees scared and angry, and leads to dangerous long-term psycho-social impacts. Thus, because of the normalization of violence within refugee communities, youth are likely to resort to violence themselves. The combination of an Israeli military presence within and outside the camps and the presence of armed Palestinian groups within camps results in a situation whereby the personal security of refugee youth is seriously jeopardized.
Sari mentioned that 54% of those surveyed answered that they have suffered violence in the camp at some stage of their life. Just under half of the youth surveyed stated that the Israeli military invade their camp. Of these, 37% said once a month, 38% said once a week and 25% said once a day. 39% of those surveyed stated that the Israeli military incursions generally happen during the night. According to the youths surveyed also, the most common acts that take place are arrests, raiding houses, shooting, house demolitions, patrolling around the camp among other things.
Right to Freedom of Movement
Lastly, Mushira Sharai’a from Al Jalazone, Refugee camp, confirmed the study findings on the right to freedom of movement indicating that refugee communities are not only more likely to face physical barriers when the camp is located in an isolated area, but also suffer from a regular Israeli military presence in their camps that prevent their access to education, medical care and employment facilities. The restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities heavily violate Palestinian’s right to freedom of movement. Again, this has extended repercussions on the fulfillment of a number of other human rights of refugees. The surveyed youth particularly highlighted their frustration with the lack of freedom of movement in relation to reaching their place of education, health care facilities and in entering or leaving their houses.
She also added that 28 of the youth surveyed stated that they did not complete their studies because they faced difficulties in reaching school and 34% of the youth surveyed stated that they face a physical barrier on the way to the nearest hospital. 48% of the interviewed stated that there was Israeli military presence at or near to the camp all of the time or often.
General Development Recommendation for the Refugee Camps in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
A list of general recommendations has been drawn up which can apply to all the refugee camps, considering them an entity with characteristics that differ from non-refugee rural or urban populated areas in the oPt. In brief, Proportional distribution of services and development of quality standards, Capacity building and support of CBOs, Set-up of referral points for victims of human rights violations, Democratization scheme, Social inclusion programme bridging the gap, and finally; further extensive research.
Sufian Mushasha, The General Secretary of Sharek Youth Forum opened the conference, and affirmed that a study like this one, a diverse perspective to the Refugee youth conditions, assuring the importance of CBOs in Refugee camps and their role in applying the development recommendations in a successful manner. Mushasha consequently, emphasized the importance of respecting youth rights that live under difficult circumstances that lack basic and simple foundation for a good life, as he also emphasized the need to terminate the internal division that Palestinians face in their own society.
As for Bader Zamareh, the Executive Director of Sharek Youth Forum, he talked about the practical and academic strategies that were carried out while conducting the study, assuring that Sharek works on advocating for it and working to find solutions for the problems presented will happen through the same partnership process that was followed with different local institutions throughout the study.
