Speech by Taoiseach Micheál Martin: Childhood in Custody

Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Save the Children is a valued partner for Ireland and has played a vital role in bringing the experiences of children affected by conflict and occupation to the attention of the international community.

I thank Save the Children for giving this topic the spotlight that it deserves. The report on abuse of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention is an important contribution in this context, and its findings are deeply shocking.

I wish in particular to acknowledge the extraordinary courage of the children who shared their testimonies.

The testimonies presented in this report recount experiences that no child should ever endure. They starkly reveal the human cost of war.

We can never become immune to the horrific reality of conflict. Behind every statistic in this report is a child whose rights, dignity and sense of safety has been profoundly affected.

I thank every individual who spoke about their experiences. Your bravery has ensured that the brutal realities of detention cannot be ignored.

No child should have to do this.

Detention is particularly traumatic for children and causes severe long-term impacts - psychological trauma, physical and mental health issues, and higher mortality.

The personal costs are borne by the children and their families. But there are also wider consequences; lasting burdens on communities and national economies.

When children lose access to education they have fewer opportunities in the future. This can deepen poverty and make it harder for communities to build a stable and prosperous future.

The report reveals a system characterised by methodical violations of children's rights and fundamental deficiencies in due process protections.

It documents allegations of physical abuse, coercion, prolonged isolation from family members, and the detention of children without adequate legal safeguards.

I cannot comprehend the aim of this approach. Does detaining a Palestinian child in an Israeli military detention facility make them more likely to want to live in peace with their neighbours? What lessons are these children learning?

Particularly alarming are findings that 99 per cent of children interviewed reported experiencing physical assault while detained. Every child interviewed reported being denied contact with their families.

I was struck by the testimony of a sixteen-year-old:

"Sometimes I wonder, did we really survive? Do people make it out alive? Do humans even have this kind of brutality?"

How can we answer these questions?

International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law is crystal clear. Children must be afforded special protection.

All children are entitled to dignity, due process, family contact, legal representation, and protection from violence, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.

The continued detention of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention and reports of mistreatment and abuse are indefensible.

Ireland calls for full compliance with international law, for independent monitoring and accountability, and for the protection of all children affected by conflict.

Consistent and systematic accountability for grave violations against children is necessary in all cases - regardless of the perpetrator. There must be full accountability for these crimes.

During our term on the UN Security Council, Ireland was a strong advocate and active voice for children in armed conflict, consistently raising children's protection concerns in Council debates.

We sought to integrate child protection concerns across broader priorities on accountability, protection of civilians, humanitarian access and conflict prevention.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Children are not responsible for the conflicts that surround them. Their rights, safety and dignity must be protected at all times.

We must work together to ensure that we do not lose a generation of children to the horrors of war and to make certain that every child has the chance to learn, to play and to live without fear.

Thank you.