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<img src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs041/1102059792131/img/3.jpg" width=600 height=129 alt="Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition">
<br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=2><b>October 27, 2010<br><br>
For Immediate Release<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
<b>Al-Awda Launches New Palestinian Children's Rights Campaign<br><br>
</b>Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition announces the
launching of its Palestinian Children's Right Campaign. The mission of
this campaign is to advocate for the immediate release of all Palestinian
children detained in Israeli prisons, and to demand an end to the
institutionalized and systematic abuse that these children are subjected
to. The campaign has set as its goal the full restoration of Palestinian
children's rights in accordance with international law including, but not
limited to, their right to return to their homes of origin, to education,
to medical and psychological care, and to freedom of movement and
expression.<br><br>
<b>BACKGROUND<br><br>
</b>According to International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights,
1,859 Palestinian children have been killed by the Israeli army since
September 28, 2000. This is equivalent to more than one quarter of the
7,407 Palestinians who were killed by Israel in the same period.
According to mental health care organizations, approximately 80% of
Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip display symptoms of post traumatic
stress disorder and are in need of care. According to Defense Children
International (DCI), a Geneva based non-governmental agency, about 700
Palestinian children in the West Bank alone are imprisoned by Israel
every year. Further, based on a survey of 100 of these imprisoned
children in 2009, DCI found that 69% were beaten and kicked, 49% were
threatened, 14% were held in solitary confinement, 12% were threatened
with sexual assault, including rape, and 32% were forced to sign
confessions written in Hebrew, a language they do not understand. Such
institutionalized and systematic mistreatment by the Israeli state of
detained Palestinian children is considered torture by the United Nations
under international law. Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip are also systematically denied their right to education, to medical
and psychological care, and to freedom of movement and expression. The
total Palestinian population in the world today is estimated at about 11
million. Of these, 7.2 million including their children are living in
forced exile or internally displaced, and are denied their right to
return to their homes and lands of origin by the state of Israel.
<br><br>
<b>ACTION<br><br>
</b>The current situation and the severity of the systematic attack by
the Israeli state on the children of Palestine demands a comprehensive
and coordinated response. Therefore, Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to
Return Coalition has decided to launch this campaign specifically to
demand the release of all Palestinian children from Israeli prisons and
an end to all forms of institutionalized abuse of these children by the
Israeli state. The committee, which has been formed to lead this
campaign, intends to provide comprehensive education to the public,
politicians and the media, and to organize effective advocacy for the
rights of Palestinian children living under occupation, internally
displaced or in forced exile in refugee camps and elsewhere. It intends
to raise funds to support its work and help provide mental health
services for children in need of such service.<br><br>
Among its goals, the committee intends to develop informational campaigns
that will include regular updates, the production of factsheets,
organization of lecture tours, film showings, rallies and protests, and
other educational events. The committee will also organize meetings with
politicians, newspaper and other media editors and editorial boards. It
will publish calls and petitions to action, and press releases regularly.
It<br>
intends to highlight the work needed for Palestinian child rights at the
Annual International Al-Awda Conventions, and to reach out to community
and student organizations, clubs, churches, mosques, etc. The
committee also intends to coordinate its work with other children's
rights organizations and to support all boycotts, divestment and sanction
campaigns until children achieve their full rights in compliance with
international law and legal norms and standards. The committee also
intends to fundraise to support its work and to help provide mental
health services for children in need of such service.<br><br>
<b>HOW YOU CAN HELP<br><br>
</b>We need your assistance with all aspects of this campaign!<br><br>
<b>Volunteer</b>: If you would like to volunteer to help us with
the action plan outlined above, please write to us at
<a href="mailto:child.rights@al-awda.org">child.rights@al-awda.org</a>
explaining how and with what aspects you may be able to help.<br><br>
<b>Donate</b>: To make a tax-deductible donation to help with the
work of this campaign, please address your check or money order to
Al-Awda - PRRC, PO Box 131352, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA. Please indicate
"Palestine Children's Campaign" in the memo line.
Alternatively, you can submit your donation using your credit card online
using the PayPal button at
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dyzd5lcab&et=1103832813738&s=6759&e=001iHDIBTQf2sNH00GJWshrv4L_vat7BeIbPj6JByg0x2FegAewtmmSlPSMsFvbkJTMqG8m9mewsKLJ6HGwHkrlFJP2VsiGSc17IebIpf13R75oX2nlX0Y9yXeaNuGU7M0c">
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html</a> . If you prefer, you may call us 9
A.M. to 5 P.M. Monday to Friday at 760-918-9441 with your credit card
information instead.<br><br>
<b>Organizations: </b>We invite all organizations, who would like
to advocate for the children's rights and would like to coordinate
efforts with us on this campaign, to write to us at
<a href="mailto:child.rights@al-awda.org">child.rights@al-awda.org</a>
.<br>
<i>Children are the most vulnerable members of any society. Israel's
systematic attack on Palestine's children demands that all people of
conscience stand up and take action in demand of their full
rights!<br><br>
</i>Until return,<br><br>
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition<br>
PO Box 131352<br>
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA<br>
Tel: 760-918-9441<br>
Fax: 760-918-9442<br>
E-mail: <a href="mailto:info@al-awda.org">info@al-awda.org</a><br>
WWW:
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dyzd5lcab&et=1103832813738&s=6759&e=001iHDIBTQf2sM7eisswb3Hq98yBzKK2lP1G5UH5BOrAG1UC1UrGydY6Xh-z7ga306kUD1RIvKXGsTZO9V7ADQa76mPGCi6cPNhd4FFdxwQfrk=">
http://al-awda.org</a><br><br>
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest
network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to education and
advocacy for the restoration of Palestinian human, national, legal,
political and historical rights in full with particular emphasis on the
right of Palestinians to return to their homes and lands of origin from
which they have been dispossessed since 1948. PRRC is a not for profit
tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined
by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America.
Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible. To
donate, go to
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dyzd5lcab&et=1103832813738&s=6759&e=001iHDIBTQf2sNH00GJWshrv4L_vat7BeIbPj6JByg0x2FegAewtmmSlPSMsFvbkJTMqG8m9mewsKLJ6HGwHkrlFJP2VsiGSc17IebIpf13R75oX2nlX0Y9yXeaNuGU7M0c">
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html</a> and follow the instructions. To
become a member, go to
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dyzd5lcab&et=1103832813738&s=6759&e=001iHDIBTQf2sML9_IGUyxVjUAMSjYhXsL_aM5kcg9OXbFYrOGO6QYHNSvq3kB10aZpyne7-nEx-oL4MWZEwzKO9tpOknWFET69HKhHpmfmrGbOKVhHEcu8W-Y8uS17sCui6gcLSCErNW8=">
http://www.al-awda.org/membership.html</a><br><br>
<br>
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