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Summary: On the 20th July, Save the Children UK released its annual review of children’s rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) for 2009. The Arabic review will be released separately.
Each year, Save the Children reviews the major trends that impact children's rights to health, education, protection, and a decent standard of living using publicly available data and our own latest research. We focus on those issues expected to remain serious concerns in the year ahead. To download and read the 2009 Review of Children's Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, click here. Key Highlights for 2009: - 79% of families among Palestinian herder and Bedouin communities living in Area C of the West Bank were food insecure, much higher than averages for the West Bank (25%) and Gaza (61%). - In Area C communities, stunting (low height for age) was more than double the national average and wasting (low height for weight) more than four times the national average for the OPT. In Gaza, malnutrition, anemia and incidences of diarrhea among infants and young children has risen since the imposition of the blockade. - 70% of families in Gaza were living in extreme poverty on an income of less than one dollar a day per person. In East Jerusalem, more than 65.1% of Palestinian families were living below the poverty line. - In East Jerusalem, 12.7% of the school age population (11,900 Palestinian children) was not registered in schools due to acute classroom shortages. - 316 children lost their homes to demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem. In East Jerusalem, at least 20 more children were forcibly evicted from their homes. And in Gaza, more than 150,000 children were displaced or affected as a result of destruction and damages to homes during the military offensive. - The number of Palestinian children held in Israeli detention increased by almost one-quarter with an even more significant increase (37.5%) in Palestinian children between the ages of 12 and 15 years. Further Information: -For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Save the Children UK at [email protected] or (02) 583-8594. -Click here for news and information on children's rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory