It might sometimes be forgotten that not all Palestinians who suffer cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment are adults. Hundreds of such victims are children, some as young as 12. This extreme violation of human rights was highlighted in a 22-page UNICEF report that examined the Israeli military court system which holds Palestinian children. It is a horrific, damning indictment of an occupying power which has set no limits for itself on how it rules and whom it rules over. A day in the life of a Palestinian child who has been arrested begins with shouting soldiers bursting into homes in the middle of the night, taking children and minors at gunpoint. Parents are not allowed to accompany them. Says the report: "They are aggressively awakened by many armed soldiers and forcibly brought to an interrogation center tied and blindfolded, sleep deprived and in a state of extreme fear." Many are subjected to ill-treatment during the journey, with some suffering physical or verbal abuse, being painfully restrained or forced to lie on the floor of a vehicle for a transfer process of between one hour and one day. In some cases, they suffer prolonged exposure to the elements and a lack of water, food or access to a toilet. UNICEF said it found no evidence of any detainees being accompanied by a lawyer or family member during the interrogation and that the children are rarely informed of their rights. They are restrained during interrogation, sometimes for extended periods of time causing pain to their hands, back and legs. The interrogation mixes intimidation, physical violence, solitary confinement and threats of death and sexual assault against the children or one of their family members with the clear purpose of forcing the child to confess. Ultimately, almost all children plead guilty in order to reduce the length of their pretrial detention. Pleading guilty is the quickest way to be released. They are then made to sign confessions typed in Hebrew, a language most Palestinian minors cannot read. In short, UNICEF concluded, the system does not allow children to defend themselves. In fact, in no other country are children systematically tried by juvenile military courts that, by definition, fall short of providing the necessary guarantees to ensure respect for their rights. The Israeli military claims it has reduced the maximum amount of time that a minor can be held before seeing a judge. In April, military authorities will set this to a maximum of 48 hours. Israeli police now must also tell parents if their children have been arrested, and to inform children that they have the right to consult a lawyer. Still, UNICEF asserts the changes are not specific enough. For the past decade, an average of two children each day have suffered this outrage Israel calls justice. Israel admits it is doing this to children – whose biggest crime is throwing rocks at soldiers or passing cars - because of a recent surge in the involvement of Palestinian minors in “acts of terror”. The existing methods and facilities were designed with “adult terrorists” in mind. Such methods and facilities are “of course unsuitable for children”. However, they are, of course, unsuitable for adults as well. Israel makes no distinction between a child and an adult. They both receive shocking ill-treatment in the Israeli military detention system. But adults and children are affected differently. These practices are a nightmare for an adult; what it means for a child is indescribable.
