On International Youth Day 2020, youth organisations representing over 1 billion young people have joined 100 Million's Justice for Every Child campaign to demand justice for the most marginalised during and beyond COVID-19.
The Justice for Every Child campaign has ignited passionate support from over 50 youth-led organisations - between them representing well over 1 billion young people all over the world. From grassroots organisations operating in some of the most marginalised communities in the world to democratic international youth movements, young people are actively demonstrating that they are prepared to take action on a global scale to ensure that a generation of children and young people is not lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wealthy countries have so far announced trillions of dollars of relief money to bail out the global economy, but the overwhelming majority of these funds will go to businesses - including some owned by billionaires, and others which do not pay their fair share of taxes. But nobody will feel the impact of COVID-19 as painfully as the world’s most vulnerable young people - who will feel little or none of the benefit of these funds. Almost 20% of the world's children were living on $2 per day or less before the pandemic, but worldwide lockdowns have meant that even this meagre amount has reduced, as families who rely on day-to-day wages have been locked out of earning and will receive no income protection.
This is why some of the world's biggest representative youth organisations (All-Africa Students' Union, Commonwealth Students' Association, European Students' Union, and the Organising Bureau for European School Student Unions), working alongside youth activists from marginalised communities and the international teacher union federation, Education International, set up the Justice for Every Child campaign. If we want to prevent a child rights disaster happening as a result of COVID-19, we have to demand that every child receives their fair share of support now and for the decade to come.
Many of the organisations which have joined the campaign are now working together to create national campaign demands and present these to their national governments. This has already happened in Kenya, India, the United States, Peru, and Germany, and several other national campaigns will be announced in the coming days.
On International Youth Day 2020 - a day dedicated to celebrating the activism and engagement of young people for global action - we are delighted to announce the following organisations have joined the Justice for Every Child campaign:
· All-Africa Students' Union (Africa)
· Lithuanian School Students' Union (Lithuania)
· Alliance for Sustainable Health & Wealth in Africa (Africa)
· Namibian National Students' Organization (Namibia)
· Bijana Uongozini (Kenya)
· National Students' Union of Belize (Belize)
· Billian Music Family Leadership and Resource Centre (Kenya)
· National Union of Ghana Students (Ghana)
· Busia Border Hub (Kenya)
· National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students - PKPIM (Malaysia)
· Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (Africa)
· New Hope New Winners (Kenya)
· Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (Asia)
· Nigerian Students Acceptability Network (Nigeria)
· Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network (International)
· Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (Europe)
· Commonwealth Students' Association (International)
· Pan African Female Youth Leaders (Africa)
· Commonwealth Youth Council (International)
· Siasa Place (Kenya)
· Commonwealth Youth Health Network (International)
· St. Lucia National Students' Council (St Lucia)
· Czech High School Students' Union (Czech Republic)
· Študentska organizacija Slovenije - Slovenian Students' Organisation (Slovenia)
· Dada Power (Kenya)
· The University of the West Indies Guild of Students (West Indies)
· Education International (International)
· Third Hand Initative (Kenya)
· European Students' Union (Europe)
· Tribeless Youth (Kenya)
· Fiji National University Students' Association (Fiji)
· Tunawiri (Kenya)
· Footprints for Change (Kenya)
· Ugandan National Students' Union (Uganda)
· G-Seti Africa (Kenya)
· UN Major Group for Childen and Youth (International)
· Guyana National Student Organization (Guyana)
· Usikimye (Kenya)
· Haki Africa (Kenya)
· VSO Kenya (Kenya)
· Horn of Africa Youth Network (Kenya)
· Y Act (Kenya)
· I Can South Sudan (Uganda)
· Young Indians (International)
· Include Me Too (UK)
· Young Women Leaders Kenya (Kenya)
· Irish Secondary Students Union (Ireland)
· Youth Alive Kenya (Kenya)
· Kenya Economic Youth Network (Kenya)
· Youth for Sustainable Development (Kenya)
· Kunsill Studenti Universitarji - University of Malta Student Council (Malta)
· Zimbabwean National Students' Union (Zimbabwe)