Violence against children in West Ramallah village of Budrus
A small school stands in the village of Budrus in the West Bank. The village is bordered on the west and north by the Israeli separation barrier. Confrontations between children near the barrier and Israeli soldiers are on the rise, creating an environment of fear and unrest for Palestinian children in the area, making even essential activities, like going to school, more difficult.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
In the small West Bank town of Budrus, school attendance rates are dropping; children are afraid to go to class and say they often have trouble concentrating. They don’t feel safe, even at school. Budrus mixed elementary school is located just a short distance from where the separation barrier was built a few years ago. The physical wall, designed to keep Palestinians and Israelis on opposite sides has raised fears and tensions for the children trying to study in this and other schools along the barrier.
“When the Israeli soldiers see the students gathering at the playground during break time or when they go to the bathroom, they frequently try to provoke them in ways including shouting, throwing tea gas or even shooting rubber-coated bullets,” says Mohammad Murar, head of the Budrus village council.
CLOUDED CONCENTRATION
Fear and uncertainty make it hard for children to succeed in school. “I want to study and make my grades higher,” says 13-year-old sponsored child, Sima. “But when we are in class we can’t focus because the soldiers throw gas anytime and we have to hide or run away. The little students begin crying and we have to help them and take them home.”
The tensions are even higher in the Budrus Boy’s school after a student there, 16-year-old student, Samir Awad, was killed in January, 2013. “The students have felt very sad and angry since Samir was killed,” says Mostafa Ilayan, the director of the school which is supported by World Vision. “He was their friend and they all loved him. He was killed in front of them and they couldn’t do anything to help him,” he added.
VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
Unfortunately, incidents of violence against children in Budrus are increasingly common following the construction of the Israeli separation barrier, which is currently 708 kilometers in length and planned to be four times longer that the Berlin wall and in some places twice as high. Reports by the community of Budrus of the violence by Israeli soldiers, including the barrier security personnel, include shooting, throwing of teargas canisters and spraying wastewater onto village lands.
This barrier has divided Palestinian villages from their lands and stifles economic development, restricted freedom of movement. B’tselem reports that the economic stability and agricultural activity of the Palestinian areas surrounding the barrier has continued to decline. The village of Budrus is known for its regular non-violent protests of the barrier which have been taking place weekly since 2003.
PROMOTING PEACE; PROVIDING A SENSE OF SECURITY
But, it is not always easy. Not long ago, World Vision implemented a remedial education program for children in Budrus, providing after school classes for children to enhance their school performance. The program was led by university graduate volunteers. Unfortunately, because tear gas was used against the school where the classes were held, the program was canceled.
WORKING WITH THE MOST VULNERABLE; A BIG RESPONSIBILITY
"Our work in Budrus is high-need and high-focus,” explains West Ramallah ADP Program Officer, Irene Kirmiz. “It is extremely challenging to work in this complicated situation as the village is a highly vulnerable one, and World Vision is the only [organization] contributing towards sustained child well-being development in Budrus, which increases our responsibility towards advocating towards protecting these children and the community."
To protect the children and provide an environment where they feel safe and can learn World Vision, in cooperation with the Budrus village council and community members, built a boundary wall around Budrus Mixed Elementary School, to separate school property from the area leading to the separation barrier.
The wall allows children to enjoy their breaks and helps them feel safe; also enabling them to concentrate on their studies. “We feel safer in the school and now we can go out and play. The little students used to avoid going to the bathroom because they were afraid of the soldiers, but now they cannot reach or scare us,” commented 12-year-old sponsored child, Shams.
World Vision believes that the Israeli occupation has negative spiritual and psychological effects on Palestinians and Israelis, especially the children. World Vision seeks to help the poor and oppressed in a common search for justice and working alongside them towards achieving fullness of life. World Vision urges the international community to call for an end to the violence on both sides and take action towards ensuring a just and peaceful resolution to the conflict.
World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza seeks to impact the lives of over 200,000 children through its programmes and directly benefits the lives of over 202,800 people in 116 communities throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. With an Area Development Programme in West Ramallah, World Vision works with 44 community based organizations and schools to empower families and children to become agents of change for a better future. World Vision seeks to ensure that all families and children are cared for, protected and participating.
Sources:
1) The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’tselem, February 21, 2013
2) The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’tselem, July 16, 2012
3) The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’tselem, October 2012
4) The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’tselem, January 2, 2013
To watch the documentary on Budrus and its non-violent protest campaign first screened in 2010, visit www.justvision.org/budrus.