ABSTRACT
Adolescents and young people growing up in Palestine are regularly confronted with political and psychological violence and severe constraints on their mobility. Drawing on participatory and mixed-methods research undertaken with adolescents in Gaza, Palestine, this case study reflects upon the realities of everyday participation opportunities for adolescents. The ability of young people to safely move around and access different spaces is mediated by structural violence and material poverty. These constraints are in turn shaped by gender inequalities, with social restrictions on their freedom further limiting their opportunities to participate in public life. Adolescent girls face greater social constraints than boys and have very limited access to free movement and participation. Moreover, services available to promote adolescents’ participation are limited, short-term and are usually aid-dependent. Programmes should not only focus on meeting Gazans’ urgent humanitarian needs, but also, they should facilitate adolescents’ rights to participation.
