3. Legislative Advocacy

Interested in meeting with your representatives to discuss Israeli military detention of Palestinian children? Wonderful! Here are a few steps to help you get the meeting set up.

  1. Explore this page to learn about the legislative advocacy we've been up to over the past few years to see if you're representative has already taken action with the campaign.
  2. Reach out to us at [email protected] to let us know and to ask any questions before you get started.
  3. Read "5 Tips for Meeting with Your Member of Congress", "Meeting Request Template", and "How to talk to your representative about Palestinian child detention" to help you plan the meeting.
  4. Once you've met with your member of Congress, make sure you let us know how it went by filling out this quick and simple feedback form. Your report-back is critically important to helping us track which members of Congress are being approached by constituents to talk about this issue.  

 


 

Dear Colleague letters to Secretary Kerry and President Obama 

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We celebrated one of our first major victories in June 2015, when 19 members of Congress signed a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, urging him to prioritize the human rights of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. This level of support from members of Congress on a Palestinian human rights issue was unprecedented and contained powerful language, noting that "Israel's military detention system targeting children is an anomaly in the world," and that ill-treatment of Palestinian children is "widespread, systematic and institutionalized" throughout the process. Read more.

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In June 2016, 20 members of Congress signed a letter urging President Obama to appoint a Special Envoy for Palestinian Children. Over 27,000 individuals wrote their representatives to move Congress toward concrete action demanding accountability. A Special Envoy would promote greater respect for human rights, increase protections for Palestinian children, and aim to hold Israeli and Palestinian governments accountable to their obligations under international human rights law. Read more.


Petition: Stop Israeli Military Detention

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In January 2017, we delivered a petition signed by over 11,000 people, putting the incoming Trump administration on notice: we demand the U.S. government prioritize the human rights of Palestinian children and hold Israeli authorities accountable for widespread and systematic ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian child detainees. Until we demand Israeli authorities comply with international law, the U.S. is enabling abuse and perpetuating injustice. 

Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP) is a local, independent Palestinian human rights organization committed to securing a just and viable future for Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.