One in five children worldwide cannot attend school. Insufficient school infrastructure, conflicts, natural disasters, poverty, gender – these are all factors that make it difficult for children to exercise their right to education. The COVID-19 pandemic further aggravated this education crisis. Around 1.25 billion children were affected by school closures around the world.
Children sleeping outside without proper winter clothing face freezing conditions that could lead to illness or death. Nearly 8.6 million children don't even have blankets to keep them warm as temperatures drop below freezing.
Nearly 200 million children are living in the world’s most lethal war zones, the highest number in over a decade, many of whom are already at risk of climate change and facing unprecedented levels of hunger.
After the change of power in August this year, the health system in Afghanistan is on the verge of collapse. In September, only 17 percent of the 2,300 health facilities were still operating. This is particularly life-threatening for children.
November the 20th is World Children's Day – that's why we celebrate children's rights! And this around 99 years after our founder Eglantyne Jebb documented the rights of children in a first declaration in Geneva.
At this year's Human Rights Film Festival Zurich, we are participating as a partner organisation in the panel discussion on the impressive documentary film "Shadow Game"!
Storms, floods, heat waves, droughts or persistent rain – the climate crisis is fundamentally changing our world. This has serious consequences, especially for the lives of the youngest. Around 720 million children worldwide are affected by the climate crisis.
On 27 September, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published its recommendations on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Switzerland. Save the Children very much welcomes the fact that the Committee on the Rights of the Child gives so much attention to the difficult situation of refugee and migrant children and urgently recommends that Switzerland improves the implementation of their rights.
On the 14th of August 2021, the earth quaked in Haiti – buildings were destroyed and thousands of people lost their lives, their homes or were injured. About a month after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake, the situation in the south of the island is still unclear and chaotic. Many children are in need of food, water and safe shelter.
Save the Children restarted its life-saving services in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar today. The agency said it had carried out thorough security checks to ensure that both male and female staff would safely be able to return to work delivering essential health and nutrition services for children.