Empowering children and their communities, connecting them with those who have the power to enact change, and utilising knowledge and expertise to co-create sustainable, evidence-based solutions will lead to systematic change in stopping child exploitation.
This came out during the ‘Better Together’ Africa Region Strategy Launch organised by Terre des Hommes Netherlands. The ListenUp! Strategy which was launched successfully, aims to address the root causes of exploitation by 2030 and to co-create scalable, evidence-based solutions and systemic change rather than one-off remedies.
The strategy launch brought together key stakeholders, including government officials, representatives from child rights networks, policymakers, UN agencies, and children themselves, marking a pivotal step towards preventing and stopping child exploitation.
Why It Matters: Addressing a Global Crisis
Stopping the exploitation of children is urgent: millions of children are being exploited in humanitarian settings. 160 million children worldwide are being exploited for labour. More than 300 million children a year are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, children between the ages of 5 and 17 years are involved in child labour instead of playing and going to school. They fight poverty for their families and are robbed of their childhood and their future.
During the strategy launch, participants had an opportunity to discuss the root causes of child exploitation, exploring their roles in driving systemic change. They were urged to act as catalysts of change in their own communities and sectors, uniting efforts for greater impact.
To realize TdH NL’s ambition of being a catalyst for systemic change, three thematic programs were presented: Humanitarian Action, Sexual Exploitation of Children, and Child Labour. Innovative approaches and impactful projects, particularly from Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia were also presented. It was emphasised that by the end of 2030, TdH NL will engage in evidence-based advocacy with, and for children at local, national, regional and international levels to prevent and stop child exploitation, support scalable, evidence-based and sustainable programmes and empower children to participate in building and sharing knowledge on child exploitation.
Speaking during the launch, Terres des Hommes Netherlands Africa Regional Director Mr. Raphael Kariuki said, “Child exploitation deprives children of their rights and their future. We need to make children feel safe and that their voices are not only heard but that the duty bearers will protect them when called upon.
We strongly believe that we are better together in preventing and stopping child exploitation. We invite you to join us in this journey, as we promise to remain a bold, human-centred, responsible and playful organisation.”
Looking Ahead
Protecting children by preventing and stopping child exploitation, and by empowering children to make their voices count requires a collaborative approach. Families, communities, government institutions, civil society organisations, and the private sector must collaborate to address the root causes of exploitation. Only by changing the systems that enable and drive child exploitation can we realise our vision: that children can flourish in a world free of all forms of exploitation.