Belgrade, November 20, 2024
“We want peace, we want peace!” – thousands of children from 38 countries around the world sent a message to leaders demanding respect for their rights and an end to armed conflict through the symbolic “Stomping for Peace” action.
Today, on World Children’s Day and the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, SOS Children’s Villages Serbia draws attention to the challenges faced by millions of children suffering from the devastating consequences of violence and armed conflict, both in countries affected by armed conflict and in those not directly affected.
Approximately 400 million children in war and conflict zones face unimaginable difficulties: displacement, loss of family, care, and protection, as well as long-lasting physical and emotional trauma. They are daily exposed to violations of children’s rights, being denied the right to life, food, education, care, and protection. 43.3 million children are forcibly displaced. In regions where conflicts are not present, global news about war and violence causes deep emotional suffering, and children express feelings of fear, anxiety, frustration, and lack of trust in governments and institutions.
The effects of wars are also economic and other crises, including an increase in tolerance for all forms of violence, affecting all countries in the world, but most of all the poorest countries and the most vulnerable segments of society. About a billion children live in poverty, meaning they lack basic necessities such as proper nutrition, water, housing, education, and health care, while 333 million children live in extreme poverty, with less than $2 a day. Even in the richest countries, one in five children lives in poverty, and one in ten children does not grow up with their parents.
SOS Children’s Villages operates in more than 130 countries and territories worldwide and works to address the consequences of conflict and violence on children every day. By participating in the global “Stomping for Peace” campaign, we wanted to convey the voice of children and highlight the responsibility of adults to protect their rights, especially at times when they are exposed to violence and the horrors of war.
“In a world where children witness violence and injustice every day, our duty is to fight for their safety and well-being. The idea of this initiative is to give children around the world a chance to shake the planet with their march, not with the noise of bombs, but with a call for peace, which should be heard and understood as a demand to all governments to take urgent measures to protect children in conflicts and end armed conflicts. We want to remind everyone of the importance of respecting the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to work together to create a better world for every child,” said Vesna Mraković, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Serbia.
As part of the global “Stomping for Peace” campaign, a video was created featuring children from 38 countries around the world. The video was shown on November 19, on the eve of World Children’s Day, at the UN General Assembly with the aim of conveying a clear message to world leaders – children want peace and respect for their rights.
Join our campaign so that together we can make the world a better place for every child. The video is available at the following link https://youtu.be/kvIKsBP4a1w.
| World Children’s Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1954 to draw the public’s attention to society’s obligations to children and the current challenges facing children. On this day in 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which our country ratified in 1990. |