Advocate For Children
Every day, all over the world, unjust and unfair policies, systems, practices and attitudes force millions to live in poverty. Young girls are pulled from school and forced into early marriages; children are forced to work in dangerous conditions. Street children are one of the most marginalized populations. They face systemic discrimination, are at a much higher risk of being harmed and are denied a voice.
Despite the high level of support for the United Nations Convention on the rights the child since its adoption in 1989, street children continue to be left behind. To counteract this, CSC led a global campaign for authoritative United Nations guidance making it explicit that street children have the same rights as every other child and instructing governments on how to take action. In 2017, this landmark guidance was finally published by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. It is called General Comment No. 21(2017) on Children in Street Situations, and it is the first United Nations document to explicitly give street children a voice.
The General comment is summarized into a 4-step plan so Governments around the world can enact their own plans for how they will ensure safety and protection for street-connected children:
- Commit to Equality Recognizes street-connected children have the same rights as everyone else-and reflect that in the law.
- Protect Every Child Protect street-connected children from violence and abuse and ensure children have access to justice when they are harmed.
- Provide Access to Service Enable access to the same essential services as every other child, such as hospitals and schools, so they can reach their full potential.
- Create Specialized Solutions Deliver specialized services and opportunities that tune into the unique needs and challenges of life for street-connected children.
Global Support for Kids Initiative (GSK Initiative) works to empower communities to know and to speak up for their rights at local, national and international levels. In situations where such community-led advocacy is not possible, Global Support for Kids Initiative (GSK Initiative) takes the voices of those living in poverty to those decision-makers with the power to change unjust policies and practices.