John, these words are just as true right now as they were when our founder, Eglantyne Jebb, spoke them in 1919.
War robs children of their childhood. It threatens their physical safety, their access to nutritious food, safe water and medicine, their education and their mental health. It leaves scars, both visible and invisible, that often remain for life.
Today marks one year since the horrific attacks in Israel during which 37 Israeli children were killed and 47 children were kidnapped by Palestinian armed groups. Stolen from their families. Childhoods shattered.
Since then, the crisis in the region has escalated dramatically, leaving over 14,000 children in Gaza dead and thousands lost under the rubble. In the past year, children in Gaza have paid a price for a war they have played no part in. They have been killed, maimed, detained, abducted, displaced and starved. They are at the mercy of bombs and besiegement. They have been left without protection.
Save the Children condemns all acts of violence against children in the strongest terms. This horrible chapter must end now. The only way to truly protect children’s lives is to reach a definitive ceasefire now.
Humanitarian organizations like Save the Children must be allowed to deliver lifesaving aid where it’s needed most – without obstruction – and with the guarantee of humanitarian workers’ safety.
International humanitarian law and treaties must be respected.
Those who have been held hostage for the last year must be released.
Children – all children – must be protected.
Save the Children is working tirelessly under extremely challenging conditions to provide support to children and families in Gaza. We’re currently administering critical supplies, providing mental health and psychosocial support to both children and their caregivers and establishing temporary learning centers where schools have been damaged. Click here to learn more about our response in Gaza and beyond.
As I said in my speech to the UN Security Council on April 5 of this year, “Children are not small adults – let us remember that they have a special status in conflict, specific vulnerabilities, an additional set of rights afforded to them and distinct obligations owed to them. They must be protected.”
Thank you for your commitment to protecting children’s futures, no matter what.
