Home is an overcrowded space, where mother is struggling to make ends meet. After such a stressful day a father will come home that evening so edgy that any thing will make him angry. He will often express his frustration by shouting at the equally exhausted mother. One of the first impressions on arriving in Gaza is that it is full of children. Half of its one million population are below the age of 15.
School offers no respite for the children.
The majority of schools are forced, by economic and demographic pressure, to have two shifts. In order to cope, teachers tend to be strict disciplinarians, who will deliver corporeal punishment during lessons if a child so much as gets an answer wrong. The majority of Gaza population are Muslim. Islam for them is a mixture of divine rules and cultural traditions, demanding absolute compliance, even a fatalistic approach to every day life. Men gain power through money and political position.