ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hunger strike

Hey there kiddo, have you ever felt very, very hungry and wanted to eat but couldn't for some reason? Maybe because you were waiting for dinner to be ready, or because you were feeling sick and couldn't keep anything down? Well, a hunger strike is kind of like that, except it's a bigger and more serious situation.

When someone goes on a hunger strike, they are deciding not to eat anything on purpose, even if they are hungry. They might be doing this to try and make a point or to show how strongly they believe in something. For example, if someone thinks that an important law should be changed or that a bad thing is happening, they might decide to go on a hunger strike to try and make people pay attention and take action.

Of course, going without food for a long time can be very dangerous for a person's health, and it's not something that most people would do lightly. That's why people who decide to go on a hunger strike often do a lot of preparation and planning first. They might make sure they're in good health to start with, and they might have doctors and other experts check up on them regularly during their strike to make sure they're okay.

Overall, a hunger strike is a pretty big deal, and it's not something that everyone can or should do. It takes a lot of courage and commitment to go without food for a long time, but sometimes people feel so strongly about something that they feel like it's the only option.