Protecting Children Across the Commonwealth: A Call for Urgent Action
As Commonwealth nations come together to celebrate Commonwealth Day, It’s a Penalty reiterates our urgent call for legal reforms and systemic changes to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) across the Commonwealth. Today, our Advocacy Director, Elizabeth Speller, attended the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration 2025 at Westminster Abbey, London. The event was hosted by His Majesty The King, Head of the Commonwealth, alongside Her Majesty The Queen, members of the Royal Family, UK and Commonwealth dignitaries, diplomatic representatives, and members of the wider Commonwealth community. Together, they celebrated the diverse cultures and shared values of the Commonwealth of nations.As we mark this Commonwealth Day together, there is no more important task than to restore the disrupted harmony of our entire planet. For the sake of our younger generations’ threatened future, I can only hope that the Commonwealth will continue its vital work to restore that harmony.
Commonwealth Day Message from His Majesty The King, Head of the Commonwealth
Together We Thrive: A Shared Responsibility
Reflecting on this year’s theme, Together We Thrive, which highlights the unity of Commonwealth nations, Elizabeth Speller emphasised the critical need for unified action to safeguard children: “Only a Commonwealth where children are prioritised and protected is one that can truly thrive”.What is Commonwealth Day?
Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration observed across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific, and Europe. It honours the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth – a family of 56 independent member countries bound by shared values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the executive arm of the association, highlighting six decades of collaboration and progress. As we celebrate this milestone, It’s a Penalty urges governments, policymakers, and communities to take decisive action in strengthening child protection laws and frameworks – because a safer future for children is a stronger future for all.The Issue
According to UN data, the Commonwealth is home to 936 million children—39% of the world’s child population. Every year, one billion children worldwide experience physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in their homes, online, in schools, and communities. Tragically, one child dies from violence every seven minutes. This is a global crisis, that affects the Commonwealth, and demands urgent action and prevention.What is CommonProtect?
CommonProtect is It’s a Penalty’s advocacy programme dedicated to legal reform and systemic change to protect children from violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse (CSEA) throughout the Commonwealth. In collaboration with governments, civil society organisations, child rights champions and Commonwealth institutions, CommonProtect emphasises the need for:- Legal and Systems Reform: Policy reform measures that enable governments to develop their child protection legal frameworks and systems, take action and end impunity for CSEA.
- International Collaboration: Strengthening cross-border and multisectoral cooperation to address the global nature of exploitation and abuse.
- Children’s Voices & Participation: Recognising the importance of platforming and listening to children, consulting children and young people in the process of legal and policy reform and in other matters that concern them.
Reflections on Commonwealth Day 2025
Pictured above: Elizabeth Speller, Advocacy Director, It’s a Penalty
Following the Westminster Abbey service this afternoon, Elizabeth Speller reflected on the significance of the day:
It was truly inspiring to stand alongside leaders and changemakers from across the Commonwealth and celebrate the unity of the Commonwealth family. However, it was also a powerful reminder that protecting children should be prioritised and is a shared responsibility. We must act now to create a safer future for every child, and next generation.As we mark Commonwealth Day 2025, It’s a Penalty calls on all Commonwealth nations to prioritise child protection. Together, we can create a world where every child is safe, and valued. Only then can the Commonwealth be empowered to thrive.