On Wednesday, hundreds of youth gathered at Bethlehem University to participate in a march to launch Palestine Child Week. The march wound its way through the narrow streets of Bethlehem’s Old City and ended in Manger Square outside the Bethlehem Peace Center.
Children carried Palestinian flags and colorful banners with slogans such as: “life without violence is possible”. Similar marches took place in five other districts around the West Bank, including: Hebron, Jericho, Nablus, Jenin and Bir Zeit.
Children and adults gathered around the main entrance of the Peace Center, where they were entertained by “Roni Rock”. The heavyset, red-faced singer was accompanied by a clown, lion, and gorilla.
Palestine Child Week will run until April 9th. The Palestine Section of Defense for Children International and the Palestinian Network for Children’s Rights (PNCR) are coordinating educational and recreational events throughout the West Bank.
Today, the Beit Sahour YMCA will host seven workshops focused on children’s issues. The workshop will cover topics such as corporal punishment, integration of disabled youth, and refugee children’s rights.
On Friday, the activities will include fun games and theater shows. In Nablus, a festival is being organized for children in the area. Later in the week, a day will be dedicated to screening films related to Palestinian youth. In Bethlehem, films will be shown on Saturd.
