Over 600 Palestinian children were placed under house arrest by Israeli courts in 2022, according to the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.
It stated in a statement that children under the age of 14 are subjected to house arrest by the Israeli occupation authorities, mainly in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
As a result, the courts order their detention inside the house for the period during which the Israeli court examines their file until the end of the judicial proceedings against them and a ruling is issued, which may take a few days or as long as a year. Wafa news reported that this period is not included in the actual sentence imposed against the child later in the proceedings.
There is a period of time during which the child cannot leave the house at all, is required to wear an electronic tracking bracelet, and will not be permitted to attend school or to even attend a clinic without supervision.
During 2022, more than 600 cases of house arrest were recorded for children. These cases were divided into two categories: the first type is where the child stays at home and among his family throughout the specified period until his case is decided by the court.
To ensure the implementation of the conditions for the release of their child, parents often have to sell property or use their savings to deposit large sums of money in the court’s treasury.
Secondly, the child may be removed from his family’s home and forced to live in a house outside his city, which is now the case for four children under the age of 18 from Jerusalem al-Quds.
Two were forced to remain in prison in the city of Ramle, and two in other cities. The move scatters the family and increases the financial burden on the family because they must rent houses far from home. Not to mention the social problems that will result from the child’s family and the sponsor, who is a relative or friend, particularly when the period of imprisonment is prolonged.
According to the Commission, house arrest has a negative psychological impact on children and their families, who must monitor their children constantly and prevent them from leaving the house to comply with court-imposed release conditions.
Additionally, house arrest deprived children of their right to education and caused them to feel constant anxiety, fear, and deprivation, resulting in psychological instability, involuntary urination, and excessive nervousness.
