development & children's rights

International development and children's rights

Children constitute half the population in many developing countries and they are more likely to be poor, exploited and to die from preventable disease than adults. Children’s experiences of poverty are different from those of adults and need targeted strategies to address them. This cannot be achieved while children remain invisible within adult-focused development initiatives. Moreover, without a specific focus on children we risk missing the issues that matter to children. We also often fail to recognise the important role that children themselves play in the development of their communities.

As a child-focused agency committed to the rights of children, World Vision seeks to build its work on a solid understanding of the main principles of children’s rights and is working with other international development agencies in the UK, to ensure that the UK Department for International Development (DFID) adopts a greater focus on children and their rights.

For more information on the place of children and child rights within DFID, read a report by the DFID/Civil Society (CSO) Children and Youth Network here