When you are locked up 

Download this fact sheet as a PDF (Updated February 2019)

Detention by the numbers 

As of May 2017 

  • 6,020 Palestinian prisoners held for "security reasons"1
  • 474  Palestinians in administrative detention2 in Israeli custody without charges or trial.3
  • 331 Palestinian children (under age of 18) held in Israeli military detention.4
  • 81% of adult Palestinian prisoners transferred from the West Bank to jails in Israel, separating families and violating international law.5

Children in jail 

52% of arrests take place at night, causing extreme fear for all family members.6

 

75% are mistreated by soldiers. 7

 

97% have no access to lawyer or parent during interrogations.8

 

When they return home, children experience nightmares, bed wetting, problems at school and increased aggressiveness.9

 

Two different systems 

If you're Palestinian 

  • Soldiers will move quickly to detain you
  • You will go to military court
  • 99% of cases against Palestinians result in conviction10

If you're Israeli 

  • Soldiers may or may not detain you
  • You will go to civilian court
  • 8% of cases against Israeli settlers result in conviction11

No Way to Treat A Child

The No Way to Treat a Child campaign seeks to expose widespread and systematic ill-treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system. It is a project of Defense for Children International – Palestine. MCC participates in this campaign in both Canada and the U.S.

References

1. B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. 
2. B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. 
3. B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. 
4. B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. 
5. Military Court Watch
6. Military Court Watch 
7. No Way to Treat a Child
8. No Way to Treat a Child
9. Doctors Without Borders
10. Haaretz
11. Yesh Din Volunteers for Human Rights 

This fact sheet is part of an MCC campaign called A Cry for Home. Learn more about the campaign and see how you can get involved. 

Read stories from the A Cry for Home campaign 

View more A Cry for Home fact sheets

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