‘Grim record’: Australia must act now to help save children

This has been one of the most devastating years for children ever, and there’s one huge step Australia must take. Warning: Distressing

OPINION

WARNING: DISTRESSING

The Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child, authored by Save the Children founder Eglantyne Jebb, came into existence 100 years ago.

At the time, children were just as likely to be found cleaning chimneys or labouring in coal mines as they were in classrooms. But in the aftermath of the apocalyptic horrors of WWI, when children’s lives were disregarded and an estimated 4 million were bombed or starved to death, the declaration boldly proclaimed for the first time that all children have fundamental rights, simply by virtue of being born and being human.

Today, in many parts of the world, to be born at this time in history is to win the “life lottery”.

Over the last century, significant progress has been made, and most children alive today enjoy a better standard of living than their counterparts a century ago.

But this is not universally the case, either. And if 2024 has taught me anything, it’s that we must not take this progress for granted.

Just last month, Save the Children released its annual Stop the War on Children report for 2023, revealing that violence against children in conflict had reached its highest levels since records began in 2005. It’s highly likely 2024 has been even worse. It leaves me asking: why does humanity seem intent on breaking this grim record year after year?

A child is given a ride by a protester during a national demonstration for Palestine and Lebanon, in central London. Picture: Carlos Jasso/AFP

The Global Peace Index reports that there are more conflicts raging today than at any point since World War II. As a result, nearly half a billion children – more than one in six worldwide – are living in conflict zones.

Nowhere has been more devastating for children than the occupied Palestinian territory. According to the United Nations, nearly 70 per cent of those killed in Gaza have been children and women. Gaza is now home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history. Let that statistic sink in.

A woman feeds her child amid the rubble of destroyed buildings at a makeshift camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Picture: Bashar Taleb/AFP

And while some wars, such as those in Gaza and Ukraine come to dominate headlines, others are scarcely acknowledged.

Conflicts in Myanmar, Sudan and Afghanistan are labelled “forgotten crises”, but they are no less deadly or devastating for children. These children are just as deserving of global attention and support.

A man carries the body of a child killed during an Israeli strike, at Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City. Picture: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP

A damaged building where four residents were wounded, after night attack to Pokrovsk district, Donetsk region in Ukraine. Picture: Ukrainian Emergency/AFP

Despite United Nations treaties designed to protect children, the establishment of international courts to hold perpetrators accountable, and foreign aid budgets aimed at supporting the most vulnerable, we are still failing the world’s children.

These measures we have are only as effective as the political will behind them. Their existence alone is not enough.

A Palestinian child sells boxes of milk in a market in Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Picture: Mohammed Abed/AFP

A medic treats a child in Wad Al-Hilu in Kassala state in eastern Sudan. Picture: AFP

Governments must do more to protect and strengthen global institutions, stand up to bad actors, and apply the tools we already have to hold those who commit atrocities against children accountable.

In a world of unprecedented disarray and need, governments must also provide stability and relief.

A baby in a cot in front of a window protected by sandbags in the department of intensive care for newborns at Okhmatdyt Hospital, Ukraine. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

With an election approaching, Australia’s major political parties have an opportunity to recommit to humanitarian leadership.

It’s time for Australia to step up by increasing our aid budget from 0.67 per cent to 1 per cent of the federal budget. This modest adjustment – just $1 out of every $100 spent – would enable more programs to feed starving children, treat sick and injured children, and shelter those displaced by conflict.

As part of this aid increase, Australia should double the Humanitarian Emergency Fund to $300 million, better equipping us to respond to new and emerging crises when children are most vulnerable. Furthermore, humanitarian efforts should be led by a designated minister, ensuring this critical work has a strong and effective voice within government.

As the year comes to a close and you prepare to celebrate the Christmas holidays with loved ones, I urge you to reflect on the state of the world a century after the Geneva Declaration. Ask yourself: where have we gone wrong, and what must we do to put the world back on the right track for children?

For inspiration, I turn to Eglantyne Jebb herself, who once said, “Every generation of children offers mankind the possibility of rebuilding this ruin of a world”.

I hold hope in this idea – that children will lead us toward a better future.

But they should not have to do it alone or against such brutal resistance. We must stand with them, champion their rights, and fight for their futures.

Mat Tinkler is CEO of Save the Children Australia