שתיל - שירותי תמיכה וייעוץ לקידום שינוי חברתי

On August 18, 70 concerned citizens gathered in Be'er Sheva's Youth Center for a conference sponsored by Shatil's Umbrella Forum for Bedouin Education in the Negev. The conference was called following the tragic deaths of four Bedouin children who were killed on the way to school in substandard transport on unpaved, hazardous roads in unrecognized Bedouin villages.

Said Dr. Awad Abu Freih, coordinator of the Forum: "Children get off their school busses surrounded by dust on narrow, unpaved roads and are trampled by oncoming drivers who can't see them." According to Abu Freih, the lives of at least 10,000 children are in danger.

"We demand that the government pave roads between the unrecognized villages and the schools," Abu Freih told several media outlets.

The Forum has been fighting for safer roads for 10 years and the Supreme Court twice backed its demands. The conference, which featured Knesset Members, academics, lawyers, government officials, representatives of parents' organizations from Negev Bedouin villages and other activists, aimed at creating a multi-sector discourse about the situation and at garnering additional support for the struggle.

Among the topics covered: "It's hard to get to school and it's hard once you get to school - an update on the situation;" "From dangerous roads to safe roads: How?"; "The right to accessible and safe education" and more.

During the conference, which was dedicated to the four children who were killed on the roads, participants stood for a moment of silence in memory of Salman AlAtras, 11, Iman Abu Asa, 8, Ahmad AlKasasi, 12 and Abed Naim AlSayad, 5. May their memories be for a blessing.

The conference received wide coverage in Israeli newspapers, radio, television and internet news sites and was co sponsored by the High Follow Up Committee for Arab Education, the Israel Religious Action Center and the Regional Council of Unrecognized Arab Villages in the Negev.