100 YEARS OF CHILD RIGHTS
We dream of a world where our rights are not just words on paper but a lived reality. We’re talking about our right to a healthy environment, education, and a chance to thrive."
Children have the right to survive, learn, and be protected, to have their voices taken into account, and to influence the laws and policies which affect their lives and futures.
100 years ago, Save the Children's founder, Eglantyne Jebb, was the first person to articulate that children are people, not the possessions of adults, and therefore deserve to have their own fundamental rights.
She shared her vision with the world when she drafted the historic Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
Children's rights are in crisis
Right now, escalating war and violence, and the devastating impact of the climate crisis mean, whether at home or at school, life for children is extremely tough.
Despite progress over the past 100 years, today, children’s rights are being eroded and neglected. Inequality is growing. This is a child rights crisis.
Today, fewer children are able to enjoy all their rights. Estimates show that:
- 468 million children (approximately one in six children) are growing up in conflict;
- 400 million children of primary school age cannot read or write;
- Of the 414 million girls who will finish primary school by 2030, 67 million will marry before turning 18;
- Nearly every child worldwide is impacted by at least one climate hazard.
Children defending their rights can face intimidation, violence, detention, and even death, simply for striving to improve the world they will inherit.
Children are leading us to a better world and claiming their rights.
MEET THE CHILDREN DEFENDING THEIR RIGHTS
Shehab*, 16, Syria
Shehab arrived at Zaatari Refugee Camp when she was four years old after escaping the Syrian conflict with her family.
Shehab loves school but was bullied so ferociously that she eventually dropped out. This experience shattered her confidence, she was in a dark place when she met Save the Children's outreach staff.
They introduced Shehab to the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Centre, which was opened by Save the Children in 2022 and is run by and for young women and girls.
I was destroyed before I came to the centre, now I have more self-esteem and confidence. When I came here, I learned what children's rights are. And I started raising awareness for others and the younger ones.
I am strong today and I’m so grateful… I went back to school and became a strong capable girl.
For me, child rights means to have the freedom of expression, to have a safe place to live with your family, to have freedom and the right to play."
Pohamba, 14, Zambia
Pohamba is a climate change and disability advocate. He has had fibrous dysplasia, which is a disorder that affects bone growth and bone development since he was three years old.
I want to be an advocate for children and people living with disability.
Why I campaign is especially because I want to see a better future for people, children and youths, that have a disability. Mostly, what I do to help the community, I like to talk about disability issues and how we can take care of people with disabilities.
I'd like to ask world leaders to make environment and job opportunities as possible as much as they can for people that have disabilities so that they can have the same chances of succeeding in life as everyone else.
If they [leaders] listen and take our issues seriously, we can make a better world for both adults and children."
Sandi, 18, Indonesia
Sandi worked with his friends to tackle the lack of water in their village by creating a plan to build a borehole and taps.
Through the Save the Children i2Change programme, Sandi and his friends received specialist training and support – not only in how to design and implement their plan, but also in public speaking and influencing.
Since we joined the programme, all our dreams that we held in our heart have come true. Now the water is here. Right in the back of our house.”
Following the boys’ plan, Save the Children and its partners dug the borehole, installed nine taps, and covered the costs. The community now has regular access to water.
Now, Sandi is an outspoken advocate for issues affecting children and young people and has more big plans for his community. “We can make Indonesia much better,” he says, proud and full of confidence.
Dulce, 11, Guatemala
Since 2022, Dulce has had an active role representing Mayan children during different events and activities as part of Save the Children's Generation Hope Campaign.
Dulce has traveled to many different places in the country to speak out about the impact of climate change in her community, asking authorities (including congress, local and national authorities) to make important changes, before it's too late.
"Climate change is disrupting national economies and affecting lives. We children are asking for urgent action to stop polluting. We want a change in behavior and for our voice to be heard."
Climate change affects crops and cornfields. This is serious because some people support their families with what is harvested; but there is even more, since climate change also affects children as they get sick because there are stronger winters and summers. How can we be resilient to face this? By polluting less.
At Save the Children, standing up for children’s rights is our history, present, and future.
Our work to support children to claim their rights is just as urgent and relevant today as it was 100 years ago. We speak out for and with children when the world has failed them.
In the new Children's Pact for the Future, we have brought together children's voices and demands from across the world. And by working with children and partners, we've also secured a historic moment for girls in Sierra Leone.
Continue scrolling to find out more...
THE CHILDREN'S PACT FOR THE FUTURE
Children are not just the future; we are the present. Our voices matter today, and we have the right to be heard in decisions that shape our world. We cannot wait for change to happen; we must be the change. I call on world leaders to listen to us, to take our concerns seriously, and to act now for a brighter future for all children."
The Children's Pact for the Future calls on leaders to:
1. Give children a seat at the table.
2. Invest in creating a greener fairer planet for all children.
3. Create a world where children are safe and their rights are protected.
4. Build a safe and equal digital world.
Read more about the world children want to see in the Children's Pact for the Future.
Imagine a world where every child can grow up safe, happy, and healthy. A world where education is a priority, and every child has access to quality learning opportunities. A world where the internet is a safe and powerful tool for learning and connection, not a source of fear and exploitation, a world where children can thrive, free from harm."
ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE IN SIERRA LEONE
Together with children, we ended child marriage in Sierra Leone
In a monumental step for children's rights, this year Sierra Leone's parliament passed a landmark bill prohibiting child marriage, after girls across the country and Save the Children joined a campaign to criminalise the widespread practice.
Sierra Leone has one of the highest child marriage, early pregnancy and maternal mortality rates in the world.
39% of girls in Sierra Leone are married before their 18th birthday, with 13% married before they turn 15.
Earlier this year, 19-year-old Kuji*, a campaigner with Save the Children, explained how she managed to stop her 15-year-old cousin Kpemeh*’s marriage and support her to return to school.
This led to Kpemeh* also training to be a Save the Children champion and joining her cousin in successfully campaigning to all the chiefs in their district in eastern Sierra Leone to ban the practice.
Those of us who are under 18 should steer clear of early marriage. Whenever I share this message, people listen and abandon such practices.”
We've been working with children to make their rights a reality for 100 years.
WE WON'T STOP NOW.
With your support we have grown to become an influential and powerful ally for children worldwide, supporting them to raise their voices, make demands of their leaders, and campaign for their rights to achieve lasting, positive change.
We will not stop until children’s rights are respected, supported, and protected worldwide.
Built with Shorthand