Week 4. At the start of the week our
session at Abu Dis Boys school was cancelled. The school had been tear
gassed by Israeli soldiers. Apparently this is not a rare occurrence
here, the school strongly resembles a prison due to a combination of
security needs and lack of funding. This means there is nowhere for
kids to escape when the air turns to poison. About 4% of the Abu dis
boys are currently incarcerated in Israeli jails. Human rights
violations are commonplace in these overcrowded underdungeons.
Physical and mental torture, sometimes resulting In death, is utilised
to punish the prisoners and coerce confessions. Stories are told of
prisoners being beaten to death or having their families brought in, so
their screams can be heard.The boys are there
for petty crimes such as throwing stones at heavily armed soldiers.
In an area rife with complex social and economic problems
including the occupation I would argue a child's access to a decent
education is more vital than back in the UK. How would you feel if your
son's education was being routinely hampered by
soldiers? This generations' education is a corner stone in the future
peace of the region and if the soldiers here are working for peace they
would also be working to protect a child's right to education.
The teachers are keen to improve the school however it is massively underfunded and evidence of this
can be seen everywhere. Classrooms are somewhat bare and supplies are
minimal if even available. This is the equivalent of working class but
with none of the luxuries working class people
in England generally receive, like stationary, uniforms and the
opportunity of freedom. We've met boys who have come through this school
and are now adults. None of them like the school, nor do they have
positive things to say about the reputation of the school.
It seems painfully obvious that they have come to realise that they
could've had more. They could've worked harder. Their education could've
been better if the occupation had not drained their land of
opportunity. This is the most they are given, when we live
in a world where people can buy islands, the young men of Abu Dis must
find their own way.
