Child Rights

Creating meaningful and lasting change for children requires more than policies and programmes. It requires strong partnerships, community leadership, and a genuine commitment to listening to children themselves. These themes stood at the center of the recent visit of Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe (MENAEE) at Save the Children International, to Kosovo, where discussions and field visits highlighted both the progress achieved and the continued need for collective action to protect and advance children’s rights.

Behind every coffee bean is a journey that connects land, livelihoods, businesses, and communities. Yet within that journey, there are also questions that go beyond quality standards or market requirements: How can children in coffee-growing areas be better protected? How can sustainability become more than compliance, and create real change for families and communities?In the below story, Nathan Y, who works on sustainability initiatives within a coffee company in Dak Lak, shares how his understanding of a sustainable value chain has shifted - from meeting standards to placing children’s safety, wellbeing, and development at the center of long-term change.

Four major child-focused agencies launched the Joining Forces Somalia Chapter on 11 February 2026, uniting efforts to strengthen child protection laws, end violence against children, and amplify children's voices in policy decisions. Save the Children Somalia chairs the alliance, which will advocate for passage of key child rights legislation and conduct national research on the situation of Somalia's children.

On February 5th 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights, in collaboration with Save the Children in Vietnam and relevant municipal departments, organized the Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Forum 2026 under the theme “For a Safe and Friendly Online Environment for Children.”

From 27–30 January 2026, Save the Children organized the Outcome Harvesting Learning Event under the “Girls Unstoppable” project in Hanoi.

In collaboration with National Human Rights Commission (NCHR), we reaffirm children's rights to dignity, protection, and opportunity in Mozambique. Save the Children and NCHR co-hosted the 4th Regional Conference of National Human Rights Institutions in Southern Africa, addressing priorities like ending early and forced unions, strengthening child protection systems, and safeguarding children in humanitarian and climate crises, while highlighting challenges in weak law implementation and limited child participation.

Reactive Statement on Approval of Somalia’s National Independent Human Rights Commission

Between January and July 2025, Save the Children Zimbabwe and its partners supported communities to withstand drought, protect livelihoods, and safeguard children’s rights. Farmers in Matobo were equipped with drought-tolerant seeds, animal feed, and improved water systems, helping families recover and sustain their livelihoods. In Bulilima, mothers and children received nutrition support alongside strengthened community health groups, ensuring healthy growth and maternal wellbeing. Across the country, children are gaining new opportunities to read and learn through the distribution of literacy materials, teacher support, and digital learning tools. Communities also became better prepared to prevent cholera outbreaks through mobile awareness campaigns, while child protection structures were strengthened to fight child labour and trafficking. Children themselves played an active role in shaping national conversations on planning and budgeting. These efforts demonstrate Save the Children’s commitment to resilient communities, and a future where every child survives, learns, and is protected. Read our Impact Bulletin here: Save the Children Zimbabwe Impact Bulletin (January-July 2025) - Save the Children’s Resource Centre

To commemorate Day of the African Child, Gamu, a 16-year-old advocate, joined her peers in a creative advocacy event and digital campaign centred on this year’s theme: Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress since 2010. The campaign supported by Save the Children was about amplifying their voices and placing them at the centre of decision-making.

Today, every child has rights, but these are being eroded by the consistent threats of conflict, climate change and inequality. It could be so easy to feel overwhelmed by this heartbreaking reality, but switching off is not the answer.