These are just a few of the currently running campaigns to improve the lot of children.
Your voice matters - exercise it!
THE ROBIN HOOD TAX IS A TINY TAX ON FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM THE WORLD.
The billions it could raise every year could give a vital boost to the health system, our schools, and the fight against child poverty – as well as tackling poverty and climate change around the world.
On November 20th 1989, world leaders adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the United Nations. The CRC has become the most widely-ratified treaty in history, reflecting the common understanding that children have a right to survive and develop, have a right to be protected from abuse and exploitation and have a right to participate in their communities. Unaccountably, the United States is one of just three countries in the world to have failed to ratify the CRC. Click on the image to learn more and add your voice to convince the U.S. government to ratify.
The government of Uzbekistan forces its citizens to weed cotton fields and pick cotton manually. Children, teenagers and adults alike are coerced by local officials to fulfill quotas set by the government, in violation of Uzbek labor law and fundamental international labor and human rights conventions. Proceeds from the cotton harvest go into a slush fund that personally enriches President Islam Karimov and a small circle of his very good friends. China and Bangladesh buy up most of Uzbekistan's cotton, which then makes its way into the supply chains of well-known apparel brands. The Cotton Campaign of the International Labor Rights Forum exerts pressure upon Uzbekistan to change its illegal and abusive practices and encourages apparel companies to police their supply chains and avoid cotton picked by forced labor. Click on the image to learn more and get involved. Click here for a petition to the World Bank and Uzbekistan.
Conflict minerals are used in popular electronic devices, such as the one that may be in your hand this very minute. The sale of the minerals extracted from the Democratic Republic of Congo supports the armed groups that have murdered, raped and enslaved the population in the long-running conflict there. Six million people have lost their lives, with no end in sight. Avoiding the use of conflict minerals deprives the fighters of revenue and gives peace talks a chance. To learn what you can do, click on the image.
The NGO Kids in Need of Defense specializes in matching unaccompanied children fleeing deadly gang violence in Central America with pro bono lawyers to help them claim asylum and stay in the United States. Over 68,000 unaccompanied minors made the risky journey to the U.S. last year, often confined in detention centers with no legal representation or advice. "These really are death penalty cases, in way," says Ronald Schecter, "because if a client gets sent back to his or her home country, there is a very good chance they will be killed." Kids in Need of Defense offers many ways to help - legal training is a plus, but no means required. Click on the image to see what you can do.