Today marks the official start of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.
ChildFund is honoured to be World Rugby’s principal charity partner for the event and deeply appreciative of the support given by the global rugby family, and the attention being drawn to children’s needs in the region.
As one of the world’s biggest and most widely viewed
sporting events, Rugby World Cup 2019 will generate massive interest, showcase
elite athletes and present some of the world’s very best teams.
It will also be a reminder of the importance of children’s right to play and the transformative power that sport can have in the lives of children and young people – particularly those facing significant challenges.
In this 30th anniversary year of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is clear that far too many children still lack the rights and protections they need to survive and thrive. Many children live with disadvantage and widening inequality.
The work of ChildFund and others – especially the initiative of community members themselves – is vital in giving children education, healthcare, protection and opportunity.
Sport for development is one proven way to facilitate change
for disadvantaged youth in developing communities.
Through the unique and innovative partnership between World Rugby, Asia Rugby and ChildFund, children and young people are gaining important learning opportunities as well as the chance to take part in organised sport, often for the very first time.
Today, the ChildFund Pass It Back program has over 10,000
registered players and 500 coaches in four countries. It also has a 50% female
participation rate, and evaluations point to its effectiveness in driving
change in local communities.
Girls from poor households at risk of child marriage are
discovering new aspirations for themselves as peer support counsellors, small
business leaders and teachers of the future.
Boys forced to drop out from school are re-building their
confidence and setting up new livelihood opportunities.
In Asia, a continent home to 60% of the world’s youth,
ChildFund Pass It Back is helping build a new generation of leaders.
Tonight, as rugby fans everywhere celebrate the first day of
Rugby World Cup 2019, there is also
reason to cheer for this unique opportunity that will ‘pass it back’ and give
more children the chance to play, learn and grow.
ChildFund Australia would like to acknowledge the long-term support provided to ChildFund Pass It Back by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs. The Australian Aid program has allowed us to share the transformative benefits of sport with thousands of children living in disadvantaged communities in Asia.
Violence against children is a global dilemma that cuts
across borders, class, culture, ethnicity, race, gender and socioeconomic
status.
More than one billion children experience violence and
exploitation every year. No matter where they live, and no matter who they are,
no child is immune to violence.
Understanding the many dimensions of violence against
children is key to creating a world in which children are protected. However,
it is difficult to achieve lasting solutions if we do not know what children
themselves are thinking.
Young people have much to contribute to our mission to end
violence against children, and the success of any policy or action aimed at
children depends on our ability to engage and respond to their voices, opinions
and expectations.
In this year’s Small Voices, Big Dreams study, nearly 5,500
boys and girls in 15 countries revealed their own perceptions about the violence
perpetrated against children.
The results are shocking: more than 40% believe children are
not sufficiently protected against violence and one in two feels that adults in
their country do not listen to their opinions on issues of importance to them.
Another clear message from the children who participated in
the research is that the adults who should be protecting children are sometimes
the ones harming them. The result is that children do not always trust the
adults who are responsible for them, and they do not always feel safe, even in
spaces created for and occupied by children.
Fear, low self-esteem, loneliness and suffering are just a
few of the emotions children described feeling regarding the many types of
violence that are present in their lives.
Children have the inherent right to achieve their full
potential, yet this will only be realised if they live in environments free
from all forms of violence.
As a global network of 11 child-focused development organisations helping nearly 13 million children and their families in more than 60 countries, the ChildFund Alliance works with and for children to prevent violence against children at all levels.
We played a key role in ensuring the inclusion of a
stand-alone target on ending violence against children in the Sustainable
Development Goals (Target 16.2) and we continually promote the meaningful
participation of children in decisions that affect them.
This year, as we mark the 30th anniversary of the United
Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), we can and must do better
for the millions of children left behind. When it comes to achieving lasting
change, we have a moral, legal and economic responsibility to do more.
Children are a vital part of the social change that is
needed to achieve a world free from violence. We want them to be agents of
change.
We advocate for children’s rights worldwide and partner with local communities to create change which enables children and young people to assert and realise their rights.
Keep up to date with all the ChildFund stories from across the world.
Join a dynamic group of donors who are accelerating the impact on children’s lives by prioritising projects in communities where the need and opportunity is greatest.