Healing the trauma of child-detention in the West Bank
By David McColl, Embrace Programmes & Partnerships Manager
As part of the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement, over 50 Palestinian child prisoners have been released from Israeli detention. However, it is estimated that around 300 children remain in detention following a significant increase in military operations and arrests in the West Bank since October 7th.[1] Palestinian children are tried under military law, a practice that breaches both international humanitarian and international human rights law, and reports have found that the majority of children experience appalling levels of physical and emotional abuse.[2]
While there is joy and relief for the individuals and families of those who have been released it is only the beginning of a long journey of recovery. The experience of detention, and the abuse that often accompanies it, leaves deep scars, resulting in trauma not only for those imprisoned but also for their loved ones. Reintegration into family and society is challenging for these children and young people, who must rebuild their lives in the shadow of profound psychological wounds.
One of Embrace’s local partners, the East Jerusalem YMCA (EJ-YMCA), is actively supporting young people and their families through this process. Their Rehabilitation Programme, operating across the West Bank, provides psychological support, vocational training, and education to help these young people find hope, purpose, and a path forward.
Rehabilitation Programme
Last week, I had the privilege of visiting the EJ-YMCA Rehabilitation Programme in Hebron and seeing their vital work firsthand. Specialist counselling is a critical first step, not only in helping young people process their experiences but for parents and caregivers too. One staff member explained to me the heartbreak often felt by parents who are overjoyed to have their children back, only to realise that trauma has often changed them into someone unrecognisable. The counsellors therefore support both the young people and their caregivers to understand what has happened and to begin the healing process.
After completing counselling, individuals are offered vocational training at specialist centres to help them develop the skills to start their own business. At the YMCA office in Hebron city, I met several young people who were undergoing assessments to identify what vocational training would best suit them. One of the young men shared how he sustained a serious injury during detention, but that this opportunity to learn new skills was giving him a renewed sense of purpose.
In Hebron, the vocational training, ranging from hairdressing to plumbing to baking, is delivered in partnership with the Galaxy Vocational Training Centre. During my visit to the centre, the students and graduates spoke about the encouragement they received from their teachers and from the training but also of the many challenges they had to overcome to attend classes, including navigating checkpoints and road closures. Their determination to succeed shone through.
Once they complete the training, participants are provided with tools and materials to help them establish their own businesses. The YMCA counsellors continue providing support throughout this stage. The training is about more than learning new skills and achieving financial stability; it’s about restoring dignity, purpose, and hope, and the support and relationship with their counsellor and the YMCA staff is a critical part of this.
Support for Families
The trauma of detention extends beyond the individual. Parents, and siblings are left to grapple with fear, uncertainty, and the emotional toll of separation. For children, the absence of a sibling can be particularly devastating, especially in environments where violence and instability are constant.
At Al-Fawar refugee camp, on the outskirts of Hebron, I met with a group of children who shared their experiences of military raids, which have become increasingly routine. All the children had a father or brother who had been detained. One of them had witnessed their brother being shot. EJ-YMCA partners with a local Community-Based Organization there to provide them with psychological first aid and counselling.
The CBO provides a space where these children can play like children again and the staff teach techniques to help them increase their resilience and ability to cope with the trauma. During military raids they distribute emergency support kits which contain books, colouring pencils and activity charts.
The traumatic experiences of these children will stay with them for a lifetime. However, during our time together I was struck by the way they laughed and joked with the counsellors and the CBO staff. It was a powerful image of resilience, much like the work of the Rehabilitation Programme.
An end to oppression is needed
A significant challenge for the work of the Rehabilitation Programme is that most of the young people they work with experience repeated trauma. Many are detained multiple times, with Israel believing they pose a risk to their citizens and soldiers, and those who live in refugee camps experience the repeated trauma of regular Israeli military raids and the threat of a family member being taken away. While the work of the Rehabilitation Programme provides a glimmer of hope and healing for these individuals and their families, the cycle of trauma, fuelled by military detentions, violence and systemic oppression, must be broken.
That is why our support and advocacy as Christians here in the UK and around the world is so vital. We must speak up and call for an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank and for a just and sustainable resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, so all living there can be free from this cycle of violence, trauma and oppression. Until then, organizations like EJ-YMCA will continue to stand in the gap, bringing healing and empowering individuals and communities to envision a more hopeful future.
[1] Adameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
[2] Stripped, beaten and blindfolded: new research reveals ongoing violence and abuse of Palestinian children detained by Israeli military | Save the Children International