Twenty-five years ago, world leaders were united behind a common vision: to promote and protect the rights of all children.
The adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child was a landmark moment: For the first time, children were recognized as the holders of a unique set of rights — education, leisure, participate in society, health and protection.
We’ve come a long way in those 25 years. For example, the number of children under the age of 5 that die each year from preventable causes has almost halved globally, and almost 50 million more children are in school. Yet the fact remains that we are a long way from realizing the vision set out in the CDC. Children’s rights are still violated daily, in the European Union and globally. Today, 57 million children are still unable to go to school and 250 million children are either out of school or not learning. Up to 1.5 billion children experience violence annually. Almost 27 million European children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
About the authors
Alexandra Makaroff
Alexandra Makaroff is Plan International’s EU representative. As head of the organization’s Brussels office, she is responsible for Plan International’s work to advance children’s rights and equality for girls by influencing relevant EU policies and programs. Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization working in 71 countries worldwide.
Ester Asin Martinez
Ester Asin Martinez is the director and EU representative of the Save the Children International EU Office in Brussels. She is responsible for developing and leading Save the Children advocacy with EU policy and decision makers.
Deirdre de Burca
Deirdre de Burca is director of advocacy at World Vision. World Vision's Brussels office works to support engagement with the EU institutions, as well as pan-European institutions, civil society and NGO actors, academic and private sector organizations.
