Youth Rights

Palestinian Youth: displaying great potential

Palestinian society has experienced a situation of military occupation for over 40 years which has had very negative consequences on the daily life of Palestinians. For instance, the living conditions of villages located in remote areas and overcrowded refugee camps are severely inadequate and have had a detrimental effect on the quality of life of residents. Furthermore, the trade restrictions imposed on Palestinians has led to severe economic hardship. Basic services such as educational and health facilities are often inadequate and sometimes inaccessible. Employment opportunities are insufficient and there are few recreational and educational activities available for youth. The use of force, by both Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian military and paramilitary groups, is a constant in the daily life of Palestinians.

Within this debilitating social, economic and political context, the situation of Palestinian youth and children, who represent two-thirds of Palestinian society, is one of the most critical: they were born in an occupied country. They have never experienced freedom, peace, equality and democracy. In other words, they have grown up in a war environment detached from those core values of the human rights discourse.

The fact that Palestinian society is a very young society represents a source of great potential. With a high literacy rate and thousands of students graduating from universities and colleges each year, youth represent a dynamic intellectual force.  Moreover, they have the energy and ability to mobilize large groups of the population and have the capacity to be a vibrant addition to the social and political life of Palestinian society. This desire of youth to become more involved in the political decision-making process was confirmed by their impressive turn-out during the recent legislative elections (2006) and their continuing high spirit of volunteerism in civil society organizations. In fact, when given the opportunity, and when actively stimulated and equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge, youth show a strong interest in taking on responsibilities and engaging themselves in the positive development of their communities.

Palestinian Youth Rights: under threat

Palestine is a young nation; today children (under 15) and youth (15-29), represent nearly 60% of the total population and this demographic is expected to continue well into the future, which should imply increasing services for the youth sector. In reality though youth rights are frequently violated and young people in Palestine are not given sufficient opportunities to actively participate in the social, cultural and political spheres of life and to positively affect the coming generations and communities through their dynamism and creativity.

A general problem affecting youth is the lack of opportunities for youth to participate, as these are generally limited and disproportionate to their capacities and capabilities. As a result, both male and female youth feel generally excluded from the economic, politic, cultural, and social sectors of Palestinian society. In turn, this worsens the already deteriorating situation. The right to education, the right to work, and the right to political participation are only some of the many examples of basic human rights that are being jeopardized when it comes to Palestinian youth, which is increasing their vulnerability as a group.

The main constraint on youth participation is the lack of a legal framework specifically targeting youth. Indeed, Palestinian laws do not take youth needs sufficiently into account and therefore restrict the development of the youth sector in several ways.  Improved legislation that allows youth to exercise their fundamental freedoms and to develop themselves fully would improve the situation of youth. In fact, although the ministry of Youth and Sport has recently expressed its concerns on the situation of Palestinian youth and its willingness to direct its efforts in order to ameliorate the current situation, it seems that the budget to address youth problems is very limited.

Furthermore, the list of specific obstacles to the enjoyment of youth rights is not short. First of all, the amount of opportunities for Palestinian youth to engage themselves in the labor market or further education once they have completed their undergraduate degree is severely restricted. In Palestine, the demand for jobs severely outweighs the available job opportunities. To further compound the difficulties faced by youth, Palestinian authorities have not been able to provide youth with the means to specialize themselves through vocational trainings or through masters and doctorate qualifications. This has lead in a high number of unemployed youth unable to put into practice their potential and enthusiasm.

Secondly, there is no guarantee for youth political participation at the national and municipal level. On the contrary, the Palestinian elections law stipulates 28 years as the age for candidates to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and 25 years for candidates to the municipal councils. Moreover, there is no quota system for youth to ensure that young candidates have a real and fair chance of being elected. Thus political representation for a large part of the Palestinian population is lacking.

Furthermore, many cultural beliefs and customs negatively affect the empowerment and development of youth, specifically regarding their right to cultural life, right to development and right to political participation. For example, the majority of local youth organizations and institutions are still directed and managed by middle-aged men. Youth, who should be the main actors and beneficiaries of the cultural and social life of their communities, have very little input in identifying their needs and problems as well as in planning the actions to address these situations.

A final and very important aspect to add is the persisting discrimination towards young Palestinian women due to patriarchal traditions and mores. Palestinian society still follows traditional customs that privilege men over women on a daily basis and in every sector of society, from educational possibilities, to work opportunities, political and cultural participation, and youth development.     

Sharek’s Re-action: the Dynamic Human Rights Unit (DHRU)

In response to this situation whereby youth are not fully enjoying their rights nor finding an effective counter-part to develop their potential, Sharek Youth Forum established a legal unit called the Dynamic Human Rights Unit .

The DHRU primarily aims to give youth the necessary legal tools to articulate their needs and to actively address and respond to their disadvantaged human rights situation.

Firstly, through activities focused on human rights education and awareness-raising the DHRU aspires to increase the legal knowledge of youth as well as to equip them with the capacity to address human rights violations and claim their rights. Secondly, the DHRU actively engages in dialogue with governmental and legislative institutions to advocate for more youth friendly policies and legislation. Thirdly, the DHRU focuses on providing youth with the means to become active agents of their society today, to lead societal changes towards a tomorrow based on a culture of peace and human rights

To learn more about the Dynamic Human Rights Unit, please click here.

This project was set up in March 2007 with the support of the European Union (85%) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (15%).  

The views expressed in this webpage do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU and the SDC.