Twelve of Australia’s international humanitarian and development agencies have written to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, calling on the Australian Government to urgently push for a permanent ceasefire in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza.
Signatories include Act for Peace, ActionAid Australia, Anglican Overseas Aid, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA, ChildFund Australia, Oxfam Australia, PLAN, RedR, Save the Children and World Vision Australia.
Ongoing violence in Gaza and Southern Israel has displaced more than 450,000 Palestinians in Gaza, rendered 100,000 homeless, and left 900,000 people with only limited access to electricity and running water. While humanitarian agencies are responding to needs on the ground, delays in the passage of relief supplies at border crossings are complicating the effective and timely delivery of aid. Agencies urge the Australian Government to address these access issues to expedite the provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance and enable recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Executive Officer of Union Aid Abroad (APHEDA) Kate Lee said further diplomatic pressure was vital.
“In this conflict alone, over 475 children in Gaza have been killed and a further 370,000 children have been exposed to trauma and loss,” Ms Lee said.
“A whole generation of Gaza’s children are growing up under a military blockade, repeated airstrikes and recurrent humanitarian emergencies that can only thwart long-term durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Australia must do what it can to stop this conflict, end the blockade and provide targeted psycho-social recovery aid to families.”
The organisations expressed ‘deep regret’ over the breaking of the temporary ceasefire in Gaza and urged Australia to press all sides to better protect Palestinian and Israeli civilians from military operations and rocket attacks, including an international commitment to curb the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds said 4,500 Australians had signed the agency’s petition calling on Minister Bishop to pursue this commitment.
“Explosive weapons are indiscriminate,” Mr Ronalds said.
“They kill and maim children and also destroy hospitals and schools. In the aftermath of destruction from explosive weapons, it’s even harder to get life-saving aid to children and families in desperate need. Australia must do more through its seat on the UN Security Council to stop civilians being harmed by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.”
Oxfam Australia’s Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke said a lasting agreement was needed to address the root causes of conflict and poverty in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“Australia must call on all parties to refrain from violence and return to the negotiating table – without long-term solutions to ensure economic growth and sustainable development for Palestinians in Gaza, it’s likely conflicts such as these will occur over and over again – undermining security and prosperity for both Palestinians and Israelis.
“That’s why an end to the blockade of Gaza is a critical first step towards durable peace and a viable two-state solution.”
Reverend Bob Mitchell of Anglican Overseas Aid said the current lack of commitment to peace was concerning.
“We are, of course, deeply concerned at the growing number of civilian casualties in this conflict and the destruction of so much essential infrastructure,” Fr Mitchell said.
“The greater devastation, however, is the apparent lack of any real commitment to a just peace.”
World Vision Australia CEO Tim Costello called on the international community to protect children from the atrocious violence.
“Children are suffering physically, emotionally and mentally. All children have the right to live in safety, free from violence, fear and need and must not be targeted in conflict.”
Executive Director of ActionAid Australia, Archie Law, drew attention to the importance of including women in the peace process.
“We were pleased that Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls, Natasha Stott Despoja, has called for women to be included in peace negotiations – which is essential to protecting women and children in Gaza, and in ensuring a lasting peace,” Mr Law said.
“It’s critical that Australia now works to put these principles into action. We must use all diplomatic channels, including Australia’s seat on the UN Security Council, to ensure that women are at the negotiating table and to uphold the commitment the Minister has made to protecting women and girls in conflict.”
ChildFund has today released the results of its annual Small Voices, Big Dreams survey, one of the most comprehensive polls of children’s views in the world. This year’s survey asked 6,499 children aged 10 to 12 years in 47 countries about their views on peace, violence, heroes and happiness.
Globally, bad or unethical behaviour including disobedience, laziness, greed and lying is the most common reason children give for violence (29%). For children in developed countries, alcohol (21%) and drugs (18%) ranked second and third as the main causes of violence. By comparison, children in developing countries ranked poverty (21%) second, with alcohol (13%) and social conflict (13%) equal third.
ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence says: “When children were asked about the main causes of violence in their country the results from Australia and, in fact, throughout the Asia region were particularly striking, with alcohol-related violence the number-one concern of children surveyed.
“We know that alcohol-fuelled violence is commonly reported in the news and may also be experienced in the home. Our survey results show that children are acutely aware of this and serve as a stark reminder that violence is an issue that affects children too.”
Key global findings on the main causes of violence:
- Almost half (45%) of Australian children think alcohol is the main cause of violence in their country, the third-highest response globally after Cambodia (90%) and Mongolia (53%). In fact, alcohol was reported as the main cause of violence by 25% of children across Asia, compared with 11% in the Americas and 6% in Africa.
- 70% of Afghan children surveyed said war/conflict is the main cause of violence in their country.
- 20% of children surveyed from the US reported guns are the main cause of violence in their country, second only to Laos where 27% of children mentioned gun violence.
- Poverty is cited by 21% of children in developing countries as the main cause of violence, compared with 10% of children in developed countries.
- 17% of Japanese children and 13% of French children surveyed reported bullying as a main cause of violence, the two highest results worldwide compared to the global average of 4%.
- Drug-related violence is a greater concern for children in the Americas (17%) than in Asia (7%) or Africa (5%).
One in three children globally (30%) said as leader of their country, they would tackle violence by improving law and order. For children in developing countries, improving education (17%) was the next priority (compared with just 6% of children in developed countries).
Mr Spence says: “Child protection is a key priority for ChildFund globally. Protection from violence is a huge issue for children and needs to be taken as seriously as food, water, education and healthcare.
“For us to address the key causes of violence in the communities where ChildFund works and to advocate for children on the national and global agendas, it is critical that we hear directly from children on this issue. This is not just about protecting children’s physical wellbeing. Violence, whether it’s in the home, at school or the wider community, can impact on a child’s education, health, emotional development and future livelihood opportunities.”
Children globally say Mum is their biggest hero
While children’s views on the causes of violence varied from country to country, children around the world overwhelmingly named family members as their hero and said being with family made them feel safe and happy.
When asked “who is your hero?”, children globally were most likely to report family members (46%), with Mum (15%) just pipping Dad (13%) at the post. In Australia, one-quarter of children (26%) said Mum is their hero, followed by Dad (15%).
Similarly, when asked “what makes you feel safe and happy”, the top response for children globally was being with family (56%), followed by being with friends (21%). For Australian children, being with family ranked highest (70%). However, being with friends is also extremely important for Aussie kids (45%). This was the second-highest response of all countries surveyed, after Sweden (47%)
The survey also highlighted some interesting differences between countries and regions:
- Political leaders and activists are ranked highly as heroes by children in Africa (27%), and more commonly in developing countries (16%) than developed countries (5%).
- Teachers/coaches ranked as top-billing heroes in Ghana (35%) and Nepal (40%). Regionally, they are more popular in Asia (10%) and Africa (9%) than the Americas (1%), where God and Jesus were more likely to be named by children as their hero (18%).
- One in four children in developing countries (25%) said school/education made them feel safe and happy ÛÒ only 5% said the same in developed countries.
Download the Small Voices, Big Dreams report.
Join in the conversation online by using the hashtag: #smallvoices
