In 1922 our founder, Eglantyne Jebb, wrote the first Declaration on the Rights of the Child in Geneva – the "Geneva Declaration".
Children have rights
Founder of Save the Children: Eglantyne Jebb
Implementation of children’s rights – a summary
There is no doubt that children today have more opportunities to exercise their rights than just a few years ago. The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets important standards and provides corresponding guidelines. It also helps to include children’s rights in the national legislation of the signatory countries.
Despite the epochal progress that has been made in the past years, some real challenges still remain – too many children still die before their fifth birthday, never see a classroom from the inside or are regularly beaten and exploited.
Global Childhood Report pdf - 2,45 MB
Implementation in Switzerland
The implementation of children’s rights is not yet complete in Switzerland, either. There is a lack of coordination between the Confederation and the cantons with regard to the implementation of children’s rights, and there is no complaints office to which children and adolescents can turn when seeking to claim their rights.
The rights of especially vulnerable groups of children are only insufficiently met (e.g. children with disabilities, children affected by poverty and minor asylum seekers). Moreover, corporal punishment is still legal in Switzerland.
Every child has a right to be heard
As an internationally active organisation, we always combine our advocacy work with our projects on the ground. Every day, our teams witness children’s needs in various regions of the world. We bring this experience into our discussions with regional and national organisations and authorities and thus stimulate positive change for the benefit of children.
Our advocacy offices in Geneva, Addis Ababa, Brussels and New York campaign for children’s rights to be respected on an international level. Through our collaboration with the UN and with international organisations, we achieve important legislative changes and help children worldwide to lead self-determined lives.
Switzerland: Working together for children’s rights We are an active member of the Child Rights Network Switzerland, we support the ombudsman service for children’s rights, and we take part in the early support coalition "Ready". We contribute our expertise to the NGO report and to the participatory report on children and youth regarding the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the attention of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Moreover, we support political initiatives for the embedding in law of the children's right to a non-violent upbringing.