Whilst attending the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, It’s a Penalty spotlighted child protection issues through advocacy and collaboration. 

Our Advocacy Director, Elizabeth 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.

As part of the CHOGM programme, we co-hosted two official side events to draw attention to key issues and contribute to ongoing actions:

“One Resilient Common Future” focused on child-centered policies, and was attended by Commonwealth government ministers (inc. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy), child protection stakeholders, children and young people, and many others.

“On the Move and at Risk”: addressed links between climate change, migration, and human trafficking. This event highlighted the vulnerabilities of children facing exploitation.

The call to action from our time in Samoa is clear: the Commonwealth must do more collectively to respond and protect all those affected from exploitation, particularly those most at risk: children.