Everyone has the right to learn in safety and peace
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive through education.
However a United Nations-mandated independent inquiry found that Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 per cent of schools and university buildings across Gaza. It is estimated that the ongoing attacks on Palestinian education in Gaza will lead to many years of lost learning, undermining the right to education for an entire generation of Palestinian children.
The United Nations’ 2024 Report on Children and Armed Conflict also highlighted a significant increase in attacks on schools worldwide over the past year, including in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Haiti.
Amnesty International regards access to education and the ability to learn in safety as a fundamental human right. Removing this by violence or other means has deeply damaging and long-term impacts for children and their communities.
What we’re doing:
An overview of our work can be found here.
- Collecting Evidence: Teams on the ground collect first-hand testimonies, document human rights violations and ensure our investigations are based on the latest and most accurate information. Our Crisis Evidence Lab analyses photos, videos and satellite images. By piecing together crucial evidence, we can hold people in power to account. Without this there is a risk that atrocities risk going unseen, denied or misreported. An example of our research and evidence gathering is our research finding Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
- Advocacy and Campaigning: Around the world and here in Aotearoa we are pressuring those in power to do all they can to end the atrocities. Whether it’s through protests, rallies, media commentary or advocacy, we along with so many others are committed to relentless pressure until the atrocities end. You can check out some of our campaigns here and here. But it’s not just Governments we need to target, some businesses are or at risk of being complicit in the atrocities, so we’re also putting pressure on them to take action e.g. check out our Hyundai campaign.