Save the Children's vision of protection is a fulfillment of every child's equal right to be safe from harm, violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect, allowing them to survive and thrive as well as have opportunities to learn, participate, play, and develop into empowered citizens.
This means we take into consideration both the vulnerabilities experienced by boys and girls to the abuse, the neglect, the exploitation they might face, and their tremendous potential, and that of their families and communities, through meaningful participation and the building of resilience.
In order to help every child achieve his full potential, Save the Children believes it is critical to give proper weight to child participation. This means listening to the voices of girls and boys and facilitating spaces where they can seek information, build their own understanding, and meaningfully take part in decisions that affect their lives.
Children's participation is a right, protected by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed also by the Government of Canada. But it's also a very powerful means to achieve the protection of girls and boys and to support them and build their resilience. For example, Save The Children's response to child trafficking in West Africa offers an approach of the strength of listening to children and implementing a systems and prevention approach. This is a program supported by the Government of Canada over many years.
For years the migration of boys and girls in West Africa was understood as trafficking, ignoring that one of the main drivers for these migrations was the decision of children themselves to leave the home. Their reasons for wanting to leave vary, including not having opportunities in their home village, being abused by their own families, or looking for an adventure in a culture that values migration as an experience for personal growth and development.
The change of perspective from trafficking to children who are on the move is an achievement from working with the national and regional movement of working children and youth. Today the African Movement of Working Children and Youth is still critical. It's a critical partner that implements activities to secure a safe path for girls and boys on the move.
Engaging children in meaningful participation allows us to understand more accurately the root causes of the violence they face, to build on their own strengths, and to respond to violence, taking into consideration the different challenges of boys and girls and the nuances of their social, economic, and cultural context.
We at Save the Children call on the Government of Canada to ensure that meaningful participation of girls and boys is integrated into its work on child protection and that programs are planned and executed in partnership with civil society organizations that are best placed to encourage this participation. Child protection programs should include sufficient time and funds to ensure that participation is meaningful.