Supporting Children's Rights in Iraq

We’re helping local communities to identify and protect vulnerable

children and ensure that their basic rights are being met.

Children often find themselves living in the margins of Iraqi society. It’s easy for them to slip through the net and for their basic rights to be ignored or violated. This isn’t because their families and communities don’t care about them, it’s because the conflict and resulting poverty put families under great strain. They often feel like they have little other choice than to put their children to work rather than letting them go to school.

Also many people simply aren’t aware of children’s rights – not least the children themselves. This is especially pertinent when it comes to issues like not being forced to marry too young, and the right to an education or to live free from violence.

What we're doing

Teaching children vital life skills
Many don’t have a formal education and did not have an easy early childhood. We’re teaching them the communication and reasoning skills that help them develop into confident young adults who are capable of asserting their rights.

Media awareness campaigns
We’re working with children to help them get their voices heard. In 2010 for example, the kids designed the messages for a campaign about their right to education, the right not to be beaten etc. These were turned into a video which was shown to over one million people during half-time on the televised World Cup matches. Using child rights messages and slogans designed by children, we also run media campaigns in newspapers and the internet to alert Iraqi society to the rights and needs of children.

Supporting the protection of children
Our Child Protection Committees help the local community to identify and support ‘hidden’ children who are at risk of abuse or neglect. We're also working with local religious leaders to enlist their help in spreading messages about children's rights and protection.