Calling for greater protection of schools and children's right to education

19 August marks World Humanitarian Day, a global UN campaign that ‘advocates for the safety and security of humanitarian aid workers and for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises’. This year the campaign also includes the impact of conflict on broader civil society, including children and families, and calls on world lead- ers to do more to protect civilians in conflict.

In the occupied Palestinian Territory we are facing a worsening child protection crisis - affecting health, education, food security, safety, and security. After 50 years of occupation, generations of Palestinian children remain trapped in an ongoing cycle of violence and diminishing human rights.

Today, there are more than 2 million Palestinian children who face increasing violations of their rights: displacement and forcible transfer, the demolition and destruction of homes and schools, arbitrary arrest and detention, harassment at checkpoints, and frequent violence and intimidation when they are simply trying to reach school, as well as when they are at school. These children are being denied a future in areas where unemployment has risen to among the highest in the world and restrictions on movement make it difficult to get to school or university or access vital healthcare.

Children’s basic right to education is also increasingly being eroded. Save the Children, along with other agencies and partners, calls upon world leaders to take action to protect children’s inalienable right to safe access to a quality education and to guarantee the special protection afforded to children in areas of conflict.

At the time of writing there are more than 50 schools in the West Bank that have pending demolition orders or stop work orders from the Israeli authorities. Just this week the kindergarten and elementary school in the Bedouin community of Abu Nuwar had their solar panels and batteries removed by the Israeli civil administration, limiting the schools ability to function and denying children their basic rights. In 2016 alone, there were 256 education-related violations documented by UNICEF and Save the Children, affecting the education of 29,230 students.