News & Views
ChildFund Alliance welcomes Kevin Hyland as CEO of ChildFund Ireland
- by Diana Quick
- / In the News
Kevin Hyland. Photo Credit: Jeremy Young, Wikipedia Commons
ChildFund Alliance is pleased to announce that Kevin Hyland has been appointed the new CEO of ChildFund Ireland, a member of ChildFund Alliance, effective July 30, 2018.
Kevin is a renowned international specialist in the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. His expertise has been shaped by 30 years’ experience as an officer in London’s Metropolitan Police Service, notably as head of the Human Trafficking Unit.
In 2014, Kevin was named as the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner by then-Secretary of State Theresa May. In 2015, Kevin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his outstanding service in combating human trafficking.
Our new member spotlight describes ChildFund Korea's Yellow Carpet initiative, which is saving the lives of school children at dangerous road crossings.
Microsoft helps Vietnam protect children in cyberspace
- by Vietnam Plus
- / In the News
Poster made by children in ChildFund Vietnam's Swipe Safe project
Hanoi (VNA) – Microsoft Vietnam will sponsor 5.4 billion VND (233,676 USD) to aid Vietnam’s efforts in protecting children online as part of a freshly signed agreement.
The cooperation deal on child protection in cyberspace was signed in Hanoi on July 12 by Microsoft Vietnam, the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the ChildFund Vietnam.
Urgent: Recommendations for the Reunification of Separated Children with Their Families
- by Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
- / In the News
The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, of which ChildFund Alliance is a member, issued the following statement on 27 June 2018.
The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action is an interagency coalition of nearly 100 member organizations working to protect children who face adversity. We call for urgent action to rapidly reunify separated children with their families and end detention, in accordance with their best interests.
Based on our collective experiences, lessons learned, and accepted standards of care and protection for children, we urge all responsible parties to:
- Facilitate rapid family reunification;
- Provide mental health and psychosocial support to children and their families;
- Ensure that administrative and legal procedures meet their best interests; and
- Prevent further family separation by ending the use of detention.
UN: Child Rights Violators Put on Notice that Abuses Must End
- by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict
- / In the News
Annual UN report names 66 perpetrators for abuse and exploitation of children in conflict, including the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen
NEW YORK, June 26, 2018 – The UN Secretary-General’s latest report is evidence of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s continued disregard for children’s rights in Yemen, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released his annual report on children and armed conflict to UN Security Council members. The report details grave child rights violations in conflicts around the world in 2017, including Yemen. According to the UN’s findings, the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for killing or maiming 670 children in Yemen, out of a total of 1,316 child casualties documented in 2017. It also found that the coalition was responsible for 19 out of 20 documented attacks on schools and nearly half of all attacks on hospitals in Yemen last year.
Papua New Guinea is One of the Most Dangerous Places for Expectant Mothers
- by ZZ Lundberg, New York Minute Mag
- / In the News
The tobacco seller and her son, Papua New Guinea © Taro Taylor (source - https://cfa.ms/2HN8hkD)
Recent reports have shown that Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the most dangerous countries for mothers and pregnant women. According to the aid agency ChildFund Australia, women in PNG are 35 times more likely to die during pregnancy than women in Australia.
One of the biggest issues that leads to death or severe complications for both the mother and child is a lack of supervised births at adequate birthing facilities. In 2016, only 40 percent of women in PNG gave birth at a health facility with a specialized birth attendant.
“No woman should die giving birth. Yet in a country just 160 kilometers north of Australia, women are losing their lives every day during childbirth due to unsafe conditions and causes that are completely preventable,”
ChildFund Alliance welcomes the adoption of Security Council resolution on role of youth in negotiating and implementing peace agreements
- by Meg Gardinier, Secretary General of ChildFund Alliance
- / Public Statement
ChildFund Alliance welcomes the adoption of Security Council resolution 2419 (2018), which calls for increasing the role of youth in negotiating and implementing peace agreements. The resolution, adopted on 6 June by a unanimous vote, recognizes that the marginalization of youth is detrimental to building sustainable peace and countering violent extremism.
“ChildFund strongly believes that child and youth participation is key to building stronger, safer communities,” said Meg Gardinier, Secretary General of ChildFund Alliance. “Child [and by extension youth] participation is one of the core principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which asserts that children and young people have the right to freely express their views and that there is an obligation to listen to children’s views and to facilitate their participation in all matters affecting them.”
An open letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the children of Yemen
- by Diana Quick
- / Public Statement
ChildFund Alliance, together with 23 other civil society organizations, wrote an open letter regarding the situation of children in Yemen to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, ahead of the publication of this year’s Children and Armed Conflict Annual Report.
As organisations working to protect children in situations of war, we sincerely welcome your decision in 2017 to include the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition along with other violators in the annexes of your Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed (“Annual Report”) based on credible UN-verified evidence of violations against children in armed conflict. As your report noted, the Coalition was responsible for killing and injuring at least 683 children during 2016.
The participation of children and adolescents and the eradication of violence against children
- by Diana Quick
- / Public Statement
Read the final statement of the International Seminar "Participation of children and adolescents in the eradication of violence against children," held in Asunción, Paraguay on 30 May 2018.
One in four schoolchildren were found to be lacking in free time or rest time, and only 1 out of 100 were able to enjoy a quality of life that was in tune with recommended standards, according to a survey conducted by ChildFund Korea last year in November and December.