Crossroads:
graduate studies
Bringing to Light Violence Against Young People
Husam Jubran, pictured here leading a training seminar, is happy to be contacted by individuals or groups visiting the Middle East. He can be reached via e-mail at .
In addition to training in nonviolent resistance, Husam Jubran’s Holy Land Trust launched an “Until When?” campaign in late 2004. The goal of the campaign is to make individuals, families and communities aware of the impact of violence in all of its forms against children. The Holy Land Trust has organized a public lecture, distributed educational stickers and refrigerator magnets, and given presents to 100 needy children.
The stickers and magnets display messages such as: Do you know that using violence will effect the psychological and emotional development of children? / If you are angry, do not reflect your anger on us. / Yes, maybe beating children will change their behavior, but it leaves a negative and deep impact on their development. / Wait! Think what you have to gain from beating us. / Our children have the right for a life free of violence. / Sit with us, talk with us, and teach us.
This work on behalf of safety for children emerged from the comments that young people were making in the trainings on nonviolent resistance. Jubran recalls one young woman telling him this:
The problem is no one is listening to us. There are problems
in the
schools with the teachers; sometimes they hit us. Our brothers
beat us
or force us to serve them tea or clean the house. But we can’t
speak
freely about these troubles. Even our parents don’t listen
to us, about
what we need, what we are interested in. Maybe after this training
we
will be able to connect better with each other.
During the training period, Jubran received this report from an observer in a village:
I was watching a fight develop between several of the young
people
from village, one of whom was participating in
the training. As I looked on, other youth
training participants intervened to solve the
problem. During the process, these trainees
made comments such as, ‘What is happening
with you—you don’t want to change? We were
talking about this inside, about violence and
nonviolence, and here you are practicing
violence, you should stop it.’ These youth had
been taking the training seriously and seemed
willing to use the concepts to address real
problems outside of the training.