ISSOP (International Society for Social Pediatrics and Child Health) has issued a position statement on how to control the bombing of children in the current dreadful war in Gaza. You will find the statement at the following link:
https://www.issop.org/2021/05/19/issop-statement-protect-children-in-isr...
Key phrases of the position statement are -
* Both Israel and armed groups must refrain from the ongoing indiscriminate attacks that have taken the lives of children. The large number of civilians that have died as a result of attacks, particularly on the Palestinian side, raise suspicion that attacks are carried out against civilian targets, in violation of international law.
* Ensure access to appropriate medical care, including the most sophisticated trauma care and evacuation protocols for injured children to nearby level one trauma facilities.
* When appropriate medical treatment is not available in Gaza, children should be evacuated as soon as possible and permitted safe and speedy access by the Israeli authorities to trauma facilities in Israel and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
* Children evacuated from Gaza to the West Bank or Israel must be permitted to be accompanied by their parents.
* Allow humanitarian aid, including fuel necessary for powering hospitals and homes, and the running of sanitation infrastructure, to enter Gaza.
* Ensure all injured children have access to long-term physical and mental health care, and their families are supported after the current escalation conflict to ensure receipt of these services.
* Stop all attacks on healthcare workers, and health facilities and health infrastructures—a a clear violation of the principle of medical neutrality.
* Ensure all relevant duty bearers in the region prioritize the needs of children and reach a ceasefire immediately.
* Respect the neutrality of medical teams and medical facilities.
* National medical associations representing healthcare workers must act according to medical ethics and speak out about government action that results in harm to the life, health, and well-being of children, both Palestinian and Israeli.
Please bring the statement to the attention of your colleagues and those in government who may have influence. There is now a ceasefire but it is highly likely that there will be future outbreaks of violence against children both in the Middle East and other war zones.
Tony Waterston
On behalf of ISSOP.
CHIFA profile: Tony Waterston is a retired consultant paediatrician who worked mainly in the community in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He spent 6 years working in Zambia and Zimbabwe and directed the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Diploma in Palestinian Child Health teaching programme in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was an Editor of the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics and is on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Social Pediatrics. His academic interests are child poverty, advocacy for child health and children's rights. He is currently the lead moderator of CHIFA He is also a member of the HIFA Steering Group. Tony.Waterston AT newcastle.ac.uk
