1000 children protest against sexual abuse in Gaza

Gaza\'s children call for protecting from sexual abuses Gaza - Mohammed  Habib More than 1000 children have gathered in Gaza’s Square of the Unknown Soldier to protest against sexual abuses. The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution called for the demonstration with the support of the European Union. The project coordinator for the Palestinian center Eman Abu Sayyed explained that the event was part of project to protect children from sexual abuse.
The center organised an awareness campaign to educate parents on how to deal with these issues when their children are victim of abuse.
The same organisation also launched a workshop in Jerusalem Open University in Rafah to fight sexual abuse gathering police officers, officials, human right activists, clerics and more than 120 students.
A survey carried out in the West Bank revealed that more than 30 percent of students in Palestinian universities have been sexually abused before attending university, while almost six percent were sexually abused by a member of their family and 11 percent were abused by a relative. More than 13 percent have been abused by strangers.
Another study revealed that in most cases 22 percent of abusers are family members of the victim and 29 percent were neighbours of the victim. Almost 18 percent of the sexual abuses happen in the home of the victim.
Health expert Zahia Al-Kara believes that sexual abuse on young children is induced by many factors in Palestinian society: depression, unemployment and the occupation.