MEET THE PEOPLE KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE
Each year, one billion children experience physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
In every country and every culture across the world, children are experiencing violence, and the consequences can be passed on from generation to generation.
The climate crisis, intensifying conflicts and the rapidly expanding digital environment are exposing children to even more risk of violence, especially the most vulnerable children.
Children who experience violence not only experience immediate suffering and harm, they can also feel the effects for the rest of their lives. It affects their ability to develop, learn, grow and thrive as adults.
Violence against children is intolerable. Every child should feel safe at home, at school and in their communities.
Violence against children is preventable, and we have solutions that work. Building robust child protection systems are one of the best ways to protect children. They connect children to vital social services – starting when they're born and throughout their childhood.
Keep scrolling to meet the people behind these systems.
THE CASE WORKER
MONICA, SOUTH SUDAN
Monica* is a 25-year-old woman from a family of eight, who was born in South Sudan but fled to Sudan in 2013 when war broke out in her home country.
Monica* described the journey as long and full of danger. Her vehicle was ambushed and robbed by armed men.
A soldier almost took me as a wife, forcing my family to give him all our phones and belongings to set me free. It was terrifying.”
She finally made it to the Renk crossing point after weeks of travel and started working with Save the Children at the transit centres in Renk as a caseworker in August 2023.
My job is to run singing, dancing, and other fun activities for children. Some of the children arrive here in total shock. They have seen things along the way you just cant imagine. Some of the children draw pictures of guns and shooting and of helicopters."
More than 1,000 people fleeing from the war in Sudan are arriving daily in the transit centre. Currently, the transit centre is hosting over 15,000 people which is five times more than its capacity.
It pains me to see children arriving without parents or family members at the border, but I find joy in being part of the Save the Children team working to reunite them with their families and make them laugh and play. The transit centre has been my second home and seeing these children and their parents smile brings me joy."
Hassan*, lives in a transit centre in Renk, South Sudan, with his family. They fled the war in Sudan in December 2023 and arrived in the refugee reception centre in Renk 3 months later.
Save the Children has been providing him and his family with essentials such as jerrycans, blankets, a mat & a mosquito net. They've also been teaching Hassan* and his siblings different games in the child-friendly space, helping them recover from the trauma they've experienced.
THE MENTAL HEALTH WORKER
ARIF, TURKIYE
Arif is a child protection and mental health and psychosocial support officer for Save the Children.
The city of Antakya and the surrounding regions were among the worst hit by the earthquakes that struck Türkiye in February 2023.
Arif engages with children and adults in a range of ways - including play - to provide mental health and psychosocial support.
Here you can see the damage caused by the earthquake...it also shows us that we have a lot of work to do here in terms of child protection and mental health."
We will conduct psychosocial support activities with the children."
Follow a day in Arif's life by watching the video below.
THE SOCIAL WORKER
BOBITA, BANGLADESH
Bobita*, 24, lives in one of Bangladesh’s poorest towns in the Rajbari District where there is a large sex work industry. As a result, many children are at risk of sexual exploitation or harmful work.
At the age of nine, Bobita*’s mother decided that she would be safer living in Save the Children’s Safe Home for at-risk girls. Life was so much better for Bobita* in the safe home. She received good food, education, healthcare, support, made many friends and was still able to spend time with her family.
I am here today because I was taken care of by a group of loving social workers. If they had not been there my life would be horrific. They were the inspiration for me to become a social worker."
Bobita* lived there until she was 18 and after completing her secondary school education, she trained to become a social worker. She lived in a hostel during that time but remained connected to the Safe Home. Bobita* graduated with honours in 2021 and is now living back at the Safe Home, working as a mentor to the girls who live there.
I wish I had the capacity to rescue all the girls at risk of entering sex work. No one deserves that life. If we could bring them all into the Safe Home in that case, they would survive. They would live a life of respect, dignity and choice.”
Amina*, six, lives in one of Bangladesh’s poorest towns with her mother Benu*. They live in the Rajbari District where there is a large sex work industry and as a result many children are at risk of entering into sex work or other harmful forms of employment.
Save the Children has provided a safe place for Amina* to be while her mother is working.
THE TEACHER
FILSAN, SOMALIA
My name is Filsan and I'm 26 years old mother of six children. From the time I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher."
Filsan is a teacher who works in a Child Friendly Space, at a displacement camp in the Bari region of Somalia. She teaches maths, English and Arabic and plays games with the children.
At home, there are challenges regarding living conditions. Life in the camp is difficult in terms of food shortage but when they come here, they play and learn. Their brains grow from here.
The Child-Friendly Space was established within the camp in 2018 to provide structured psychosocial and play activities for children as well as positive parenting skills for adults.
Our activities kick off with the children sharing what they'd like to do and learn that day. They sing alphabet and number songs, draw pictures of animals and nature, really engaging their creativity from the start. I believe children are naturally so creative."" and curious
Aerial footage of a displacement camp in Puntland, Somalia
Aerial footage of a displacement camp in Puntland, Somalia
ENDING VIOLENCE TOGETHER
We know that violence is preventable and it’s possible to break the cycle of violence and abuse. We have solutions that work. Save the Children works with families and communities to promote positive social norms and behaviours to help prevent violence against children.
We’re calling on leaders at the Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children to invest in robust Child Protection Systems that connect children to vital social services – starting when they're born and throughout their childhood.
Together, we can end violence against children. Here's how:
Haidar*, 10, and his friends, Iraq. Photo: Emily Garthwaite/ Save the Children.
Haidar*, 10, and his friends, Iraq. Photo: Emily Garthwaite/ Save the Children.
GOVERNMENTS
- Strengthen comprehensive, sustainable and inclusive national child protection systems that prevent and respond to ALL forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.
- Protect all children, particularly those who may struggle to access services, such as children affected by conflict, disasters, displacement and migration.
- Adapt and enhance child protection systems to keep children safe in the digital environment.
Munni* 18 and Tanni*, 12, Bangladesh. Photo: Fabeha Monir/Save the Children.
Munni* 18 and Tanni*, 12, Bangladesh. Photo: Fabeha Monir/Save the Children.
DONORS
- Increase funding for strengthening inclusive and quality child protection systems.
- Invest in more research and evidence on what works to end violence against children.
- Support governments to adapt programming when crises occur and fund quality child protection services.
Prisca(28) and her children Martin(8), Blaise(4), and Charlene(1). Photo: Eve Matheson/ Save the Children.
Prisca(28) and her children Martin(8), Blaise(4), and Charlene(1). Photo: Eve Matheson/ Save the Children.
PRIVATE SECTOR
- Strengthen actions and financial commitments to protect children from violence resulting from their operations, including ending child labour and exploitation, and preventing and responding to online harm.
- Work together to ensure sector-wide reform to issues related to violence against children.
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