Al-Bireh: Palestinian prisoner advocacy organizations on Tuesday announced the launch of an international campaign aimed at raising global awareness about alleged sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention facilities and amplifying the voices of survivors.
The campaign was unveiled during a press conference at the Al-Bireh Municipal Hall, attended by representatives of Palestinian prisoner organizations, human rights groups, and several former detainees. During the event, some former prisoners alleged that they had been subjected to sexual violence while in Israeli custody, including rape.
According to the organizations, the campaign comes amid what they describe as an unprecedented escalation in abuses against Palestinian detainees, particularly since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. They alleged that Israeli detention facilities have become sites of torture, starvation, humiliation, physical and psychological abuse, as well as sexual violence. The groups said these allegations are supported by hundreds of testimonies and witness accounts.
The organizations further claimed that the alleged abuses should not be viewed as isolated incidents or the actions of individual prison personnel. Instead, they described them as part of a systematic policy carried out through Israeli state institutions, with the aim of degrading Palestinian detainees, stripping them of their dignity, and breaking their resilience.
According to the organizers, the campaign seeks to break the silence surrounding alleged sexual violence against detainees by providing survivors with a safe platform to share their experiences. It also aims to document their testimonies and pursue them through legal and human rights mechanisms in an effort to hold those responsible accountable.