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Forced labour for Palestinian children in Israeli prisons
Many Palestinian children in Israeli Telmond Prison are being exploited by “forced labor in which they must work eight hours for a few shekels,” as reported by the Prisoners Information Center.
One of the children made a statement after his release. “The prison administration has forced all prisoners in Telmond Prison to work eight hours for very low wages.”
He went on to say, “The Israeli soldiers come to the chambers at seven and force us to go with our legs tied with chains.” The child added that his job was to stand under guard and pack plastic spoons in boxes.
Even injured political prisoners are forced to work, according to Friday’s Nablus-based report. A former prisoner stated, “I had a broken bone but the soldiers forced me out of my cell to work anyway, without any consideration for the pain.”
There are approximately 375 Palestinians in Telmond Prison, with most of them being children. The oldest Palestinian in Telmond is 22 years old. The child laborers are given two meals per 24 hours, one at 11:00 pm and another at 6:00 am.
Israeli prison officials also attempt to extract information from children regarding members of the armed resistance and engage in frequent psychological abuse.
According to the Information Center there are 200 children less than 16 years old in Israeli prisons begin subjected to some of the worst forms of exploitation and humiliation. A total of 376 Palestinian children are currently imprisoned in Israeli prisons and detention camps.
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