Buried in the middle of an April report "Palestinian Children –Issues and Statistics" by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, we see:
Children Exposed to Violence in Educational InstitutionsWhere was the outcry?
More than one fifth of students aged 12-17 years were exposed to psychological violence at school during the 12 months that preceded July 2011: 21.6% in the West Bank compared to 22.7% in the Gaza Strip. The results indicated that psychological violence was the most common abuse against students by their colleagues or teachers: 25.0% by friends and 27.6% by teachers. Physical violence by teachers was reported by 21.4% compared to 14.2% who reported fellow students.
Parents First to Practice Violence Against Children
In 2011, 51.0% of children aged 12-17 years were exposed to violence inside the household by an individual member of the household: 45.8% in the West Bank compared to 59.4% in the Gaza Strip. Of these children, 69.0% were exposed to psychological violence and 34.4% to physical violence by their parents compared to 66.4% exposed to psychological violence and 34.5% to physical violence by their mothers.
In fact, these numbers are based on a 2011 report by the same source, that also said that
7.3% of the elderly 65 years and over were exposed to one form of violence by one individual of the household in the past 12 months, 8.5% in the West Bank compared to 4.5% in Gaza strip the percentage among males was 6.4% compared to 7.9% females.
Based on the forms of violence that were measured in the survey questionnaire, it became clear that health negligence was the most form of violence that the elderly are exposed to, 17.1%; 18.3% among females compared to 15.5% among males. 11.4% of these individuals were exposed to a psychological violence, 13.2% females compared to 9.3% males.And:
37.0% of women who ever been married were exposed to one form of violence by their husbands in the past 12 months; 29.9% in the West Bank compared to 51.0% in Gaza Strip. The rate of those who were exposed to psychological violence “at least for one time” among those women out of violated women was 58.6%. 55.1% were exposed to economical violence, 54.8% were exposed to social violence, 23.5% were exposed to physical violence and 11.8% were exposed to sexual violence.So how many of the hundreds of NGOs that fill Gaza and the West Bank are concerned with domestic and school violence?
The highest percentage of violence that had been directed against wives by husbands was in Jericho & Al-Aghwar in the West Bank; 47.3% and the lowest percentage was in Ramallah & Al Bireh governorate 14.2% while in Gaza Strip, this percentage reached its highest in Gaza governorate; 58.1% while the lowest percentage was in Rafah governorate; 23.1%.
In contrast, the percentage of women in refugee camps whom had been subjected to violence by their husbands were the highest percentage compared to those women in urban and rural areas; 41.8%, 38.2% and 29.3% respectively.
How many of the violent acts in schools occurred in UNRWA schools?
And if violence occurs most often in "refugee" camps that are in the boundaries of British Mandate Palestine - then why on earth haven't these camps been demolished? Why are people who live in their own land being treated as refugees in perpetuity - especially when these camps are breeding grounds for violence?
But it would be unfair to say the Western media ignores Palestinian Arab domestic violence completely. When they can find a way to blame Israel for it, it becomes a very popular topic.
(h/t Irene)