Child protection

Child protection

Every child has the right to a safe and non-violent childhood.  

Nevertheless, the vast majority of the world’s children live in countries where corporal punishment of the child is still accepted. When fleeing war or natural disasters, children find themselves in a particularly vulnerable position, where they are increasingly vulnerable to human trafficking, exploitation and physical violence. Violence can also be internal to the family or community.  

Save the Children promotes the rights of the child to a safe home and environment by strengthening formal and informal child protection structures and practices. Child protection emphasizes the development of forms of preventive support so that children and families can receive support in a timely and high-quality manner. We support families so that they can take better care of their children. We take a holistic approach to our efforts to protect children. This means that all of our programs also have activities that promote child protection. As we work to reduce child poverty, we also regularly address violations against children, such as harmful child labor and early marriages.  

Our goal is to give every child the opportunity to grow and develop in a safe family and community. 

What is done in our programs?  

Strengthening child protection structures in communities.  

We are working to combine existing formal and informal structures. We train social workers to recognize children in need. We utilize the know-how of communities, for example, in mapping protection needs. 

Ensuring access to protection.  

We pay attention to discriminated groups as well as refugees and migrants, and spread awareness about opportunities to get help. We train social workers to refer children for help to health care services or the police. We establish child protection facilities with easy access. 

Promoting knowledge of the rights of children to a safe childhood.  

We help families and communities to consider the special needs of children. We strive to involve fathers in the upbringing of children and to prevent gender-based violence.  

Influencing the legislation of states. 

By influencing legislation, we ensure that every child receives safety and compensation when they encounter a violation. We promote the commitment of state decision-makers to the rights of the children.  

Read more about our programs to promote child protection in our latest news. 

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