Mideast - AFP
Mideast conflict led to "severe crisis for children", says UNICEF chief
Date: Mon, May 31, 2004
JERUSALEM (AFP) - The conflict pitting Palestinians against Israelis for the past four years has had a severe impact on children, both physically and psychologically, the head of the UN children rights organisation said.
"This is very severe crisis for children on both sides with long-term implications," Carol Bellamy told AFP on her first visit to the region since her appointment in 1995.
"It is not just the physical violence, it's also the psychological impact," she said, noting that test scores had been slumping in areas of unrest.
Although noting children were subject to more behaviour changes than adults, she stressed that "normalcy does not exist when children are not sure they are going to school, when there are checkpoints or when they are afraid somebody is going to blow themselves up."
Bellamy, who during her two-and-a-half day visit met Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Palestinian children were more likely to be affected by interrupted schooling.
"There is probably a special burden on Palestinian children in the context of border crossings, the daily walks to school and the curfews," she said.
Since the start of the Palestinian uprising in late September 2000, Israel has almost continually sealed the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites) to prevent would-be attackers to cross into its territory.
The Palestinian territories have also been sliced up in non-contiguous parts, hampering the free movement of people and goods.
Asked about UNICEF (news - web sites)'s response to a major Israeli raid in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah that has left hundreds of families homeless and wrecked basic infrastructure, Bellamy said her organisation was providing residents with water and medicines.
"There has been a disruption of water that has health implications for children and schools have been disrupted," she said, branding the large-scale operation as "yet another incident of violence."
Israeli said that the operation, earlier this month, aimed to uncover and neutralize tunnels running under civilian homes and used by militants to smuggle weapons from nearby Egypt.
Bellamy also deplored the exploitation of children in the conflict, saying, "children should not be in the frontline, they should not be used as substitutes for somebody who is angry and wants to act out."
"The good news in the midst of all this is that there are still some of the highest education enrolments in the region, in both Israel and Palestinian areas," she said.
SOURCE
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