Tuesday, November 14, 11:00 AM EDT
Week 46: Children's Rights
Israel continues its ground invasion of Gaza, attacking countless innocent civilians in the process, many of them children. As advocates for peace and the humanity of all people, we must act. Please join us in the following Urgent Action, suppprting Representative Rashida Tlaib for speaking up for Palestine and calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Then join us for our Kumi Now Online Gathering on Tuesday, during which we will address the terrible toll the invasion of Gaza and occupation of Palestine are taking on children.
Urgent Action
Action 1: Pressure Democrats in the U.S. who censured Rashida Tlaib
If you are a resident of one of the following districts (see list below), then your representative was among the 22 democrats who voted to censure Rashida Tlaib. Put pressure by calling your representative and expressing anger and disappointment towards the way they voted, and continue asking them to support the CeasefireNOW resolution.
If you are not a resident of the following districts, but know friends or family who are, please forward them the instructions for this action.
Regardless of if you are a resident of the following districts, you can amplify the voice of Representative Tlaib by sharing these images as posts on social media or via email (you can also share them by sharing the posts on our accounts). Note: Only one is shared here. All four can be found on the Action page of the website and include quotes from her speech on the House floor.
Democratic representatives who voted to censure Tlaib:
Steve Cohen (D-TN)
Jim Costa (D-CA)
Angie Craig (D-MN)
Don Davis (D-NC)
Lois Frankel (D-FL)
Jared Golden (D-ME)
Dan Goldman (D-NY)
Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
Greg Landsman (D-OH)
Susie Lee (D-NV)
Kathy Manning (D-NC)
Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)
Wiley Nickel (D-NC)
Chris Pappas (D-NH)
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA)
Pat Ryan (D-NY)
Brad Schneider (D-IL)
Kim Schrier (D-WA)
Darren Soto (D-FL)
Ritchie Torres (D-NY)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
Action 2: Thank Rashida Tlaib
If you’d like to thank Rashida Tlaib for her words and actions, you can call or send a letter to her office (unless you live in her district, it is hard to contact her digitally):
Rayburn House Office Building, 2438
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5126
Next Online Gathering
November 14: Week 46 - Children's Rights
Full information on the gathering is here.
Our guest will be a representative of Defense for Children International Palestine.
World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children's Day and is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
The 20th of November is an important date as it was on this date in 1959 that the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. And it is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
You can learn more about World Children’s Day on the UN website.
This week, as people around the world celebrate Universal Children’s Day on November 20, we are reminded that Palestinian children are denied the human rights and opportunities available to children elsewhere in the world and only a short distance away in the settlements and Israel. Please join us for our next online gathering as we examine the severe limits placed on the rights of Palestinian children and check out this week's Kumi Now entry:
Kumi Week #46: Children's Rights
Week 46 of Kumi Now is now available on the website. The concept of children’s rights was defined globally with the 1989 Conventions on the Rights of the Child (CRC). 196 countries are party to the CRC. The treaty requires governments to act in the best interests of children, respecting their rights related to safety and health, access to education and opportunity, and a stable family life. Israel is, of course, one of those countries that ratified the CRC. Its actions, however, in regard to Palestinian children are often contrary to both the spirit and law of the treaty.
Please read the essay on this topic along with the story of the teenager Ahmad H. And here are some facts for you:
Understanding Children's Rights. Just the facts...
83% of Palestinian children in East Jerusalem live below the Israel-defined poverty line.
In 2019, 5,289 permits were issued to minors in Gaza allowing them to travel to obtain medical treatment; only 4,165 permits were issued to their parents, leaving 100s of children without their parents while receiving medical treatment.
In Hebron, Palestinian children living and/or studying in schools in the Old City must walk through up to 4 Israeli military checkpoints just to reach school.
62% of Gazan children are depressed or feel chronic anxiety and fear.
500 to 1,000 Palestinian children are detained each year by Israeli forces; over 50% are arrested at night and report physical and psychological abuse during arrest, transfer, and interrogation.
In 2021, 78 Palestinian children were killed as a result of Israeli military and settler presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. These are children that were not involved in hostilities.
Over 30 Palestinian children have been killed in 2022 so far as a result of Israeli military and settler presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
To go deeper, we will be developing an extensive list of Additional Resources at the bottom of this week’s entry as well as a YouTube playlist on the subject.
To register: Week 46: Children’s Rights Online Gathering 2023 – KUMI NOW
Background info: Week 46: Children’s Rights – KUMI NOW
See the full Kumi Now email for additional info, actions and resources Kumi Now - Week 46: Children's Rights (sendibm1.com)