Israel: Research on child detention

A  study of the detention of migrant children in Israel has revealed that 83% of children and parents interviewed, who had spent time in immigration detention, showed post-traumatic symptoms.

The study, conducted by Rotem Ilan of “End Child Detention” coalition with the advisory of Prof. Michelle Sloan and Ph.D student Yael Me’ir, was conducted of 66 children, adolescents and their parents, both asylum seekers and work migrants, who were detained in the past or are detained presently in Israel.

The research shows that children are arrested during early morning-time, while still in their beds, some are separated from their families, some are detained without proper conditions and without access to medical and welfare services and education.

Many children were subjected to previous traumas and some endured torture in camps in Sinai. These traumas are made worse by the traumatic arrest experience
and time spent in detention facilities.

The “End Child Detention” coalition calls on the state of Israel to adopt alternatives to detention, such alternatives that do not cause irreversible damage and are being implemented in many states today.

Read a summary of the report in English

The Coalition developed a National Action Plan that sits now with the Israeli Parliament and a Position Paper on Alternatives to Detention is available in English