Amplifying children’s voices for peace and protection on World Children’s Day

World Children’s Day, on November 20, commemorates the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child (1959) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). This anniversary calls us to reflect on the progress made in advancing children’s rights and to renew our efforts to ensure that no child grows up alone.

On the 35th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children unite in a global campaign called Stomping for Peace, demanding an end to war and conflict and advocating for lasting peace.

Organized by SOS Children’s Villages, the campaign amplifies children’s voices worldwide, calling on leaders to prioritize their best interests over warfare, to choose peace over conflict, and to uphold their rights.

With every step, children such as Emiel, 14, from Belgium, send a clear message: “War affects all of us. We are all sad, scared and angry."

A 9-year-old girl, Snokuhle, from Eswatini, in Southern Africa, adds: “Every day, children are dying. We are stomping for peace. Please stop the war.”

The Stomping for Peace video showcases contributions from children in 38 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. World-renowned DJ and producer Martin Garrix, an international friend of SOS Children’s Villages, offers his song AURORA as the video’s soundtrack.

Martin Garrix says, “No one wants war, and often it’s children who suffer the most. I’m honoured to support this campaign with my music and raise awareness for those affected.”

Article 38 of the convention

On World Children’s Day, children are urging nations to uphold Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires protecting them from armed conflict and prioritizing their safety and wellbeing.

The Stomping for Peace campaign calls for urgent and non-negotiable actions from leaders:

• Stop violence against children immediately. Initiate ceasefires, protect civilians, and take concrete steps to prevent armed conflicts.

   

• Enforce international humanitarian law ensuring violators are held accountable.

   

• Ensure humanitarian aid reaches children in conflict zones, including food, shelter, healthcare, education, safe evacuation and adequate alternative care for children without parental care.

   

• Recognize and address the long-term harm of conflict on children and families, particularly the impact on mental health and child-family separation.

“Children everywhere are deeply aware of how violence affects them and their peers,” says Dereje Wordofa, President of SOS Children’s Villages International. “They know the fear and sadness caused by war and conflict and are determined to make their voices heard.”

This campaign gives them a platform to speak up, drawing attention to the hardships faced by more than 470 million children living with the effects of war and conflict.

According to UNICEF, more than 30 million children have been displaced by conflict; many of them are enslaved, trafficked, abused, and exploited, and large numbers without a secure status are often denied access to basic rights such as education and healthcare.

Around the world, war and armed conflict are tearing families apart. The recent Global Report on Children’s Care and Protection by SOS Children’s Villages cited war and violence as one of the main drivers of child-family separation, as children witness their parents being killed or find themselves separated when fleeing a conflict zone.
 

“Stomping for Peace empowers children to demand the safe, peaceful future they deserve,” says Thomas Bauer, President and CEO of SOS Children’s Villages Canada. “Their voices echo the urgent need to make child protection our highest priority.”