World Children’s Day: Advocating for Child Protection in the Commonwealth
As the world comes together to mark World Children’s Day, It’s a Penalty renews its urgent call for legal reform and systemic change to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) across the Commonwealth.
This year’s observance follows the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, where It’s a Penalty spotlighted child protection issues through advocacy and collaboration.
Highlights from CHOGM 2024
Our Advocacy Director, Beth Speller, and Commonwealth Advisor, Helen Jones, attended CHOGM 2024 as representatives of CommonProtect, our advocacy programme dedicated to driving legal reforms and systemic change to safeguard children from sexual exploitation and abuse across the Commonwealth. Their aim was to ensure that child protection remained a key priority on the agenda, advocating for decisive action to protect children and young people throughout the Commonwealth.
Why the Commonwealth?
Home to 936 million children (39% of the world’s total), the Commonwealth faces significant challenges with regards to child protection policy. The reality of the lives of millions of children in the Commonwealth was recognised in the Kigali Declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform, issued in June 2022. The Kigali Declaration set the stage for reform, committing to making childcare and protection a Commonwealth priority.
Our Events at CHOGM
We hosted two key side events:
- “One Resilient Common Future” focused on child-centered policies, and was attended by David Lammy, UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs.
- “On the Move and at Risk” addressed links between climate change, migration, and human trafficking. This event highlighted the vulnerabilities of children facing exploitation.
Justice Vui Clarence Nelson of Samoa’s Supreme Court emphasised the need for a permanent children’s summit at future CHOGM events, stating:
“Why do I get the feeling that CHOGM 2024 has been hijacked by the big issues?…Somewhere along the line, children have been once again left out of the equation…If there’s a message from this one side event to the leaders, let the message be: if you talk about the common wealth of the Commonwealth, that includes children…We don’t have a children’s forum and yet children make up almost one-third of the Commonwealth. I don’t think it’s good enough.”
Moving Forward
Our time in Samoa attending CHOGM crystallised several hopes and ambitions for CommonProtect. Our work to platform children’s rights and voices in the Commonwealth must continue and grow. Our first side event was the only child-focused event on the whole CHOGM programme. Whilst Youth (ages 15-29) has a permanent position in the Commonwealth structure, children, as Justice Nelson put it, are routinely ‘left out of the equation’, despite being the most in need of support, protection and investment. Whether achieved through the establishment of the Children’s Forum, expansion of the existing Youth’s programme’s scope, or otherwise; our hopes for future CHOGMs and Commonwealth events is that children have a place at the table and on the agenda.