Global Call to Protect Children in War

As religious communities, international organizations, civil society, and people of goodwill, we stand together to raise an urgent alarm about the suffering of children in war, to reaffirm the sanctity and value of their lives, to uphold their human dignity, and to demand protection for these most innocent, vulnerable, and precious members of every community. The continued violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law are not isolated incidents; they reflect a broader and alarming erosion of the shared moral norms that faith communities long advocated for and helped inspire.

Across traditions, sacred texts, prayers, and practices remind us that the protection of the vulnerable and the pursuit of peace are shared ethical imperatives. Long before humanitarian and human rights law were codified, faith and moral values called us to be compassionate, to protect the vulnerable, restore relationships, uphold human dignity, and promote the right to life.

Childhood is a journey of growth, identity, and belonging. When a child is forced to flee, to bury a parent, or to endure hunger or injury, that journey is broken. Beyond the immediate suffering lie often overlooked and yet devastating consequences: malnutrition and the weaponization of food; collapsing health systems, spread of disease and disrupted immunization; toxic stress and other mental-health problems; interrupted learning, stunted development and early marriage; and the fragmentation of communities that dissolves trust and solidarity, and imperils our common future: the future of our children.

Today, grave and proliferating breaches of international humanitarian law and human rights law — including the direct targeting of children, their schools, the hospitals where they are cared for, and the shelters where they hope to find refuge — are deeply alarming and risk becoming normalized.

This MUST end. We cannot be silent. Change is possible, rooted in the moral teachings of our faiths and the universal legal principles meant to secure justice and peace. We believe that international organizations, local communities, and children themselves can be agents of healing and transformation. We believe in the power of hope, solidarity, awareness, and consciousness – acknowledging both the call to raise awareness in society and the call to speak and act from our own conscience – as guides for collective responsibility and action. Together, we can prevent violence, raise awareness about its devastating impact, and foster spaces for dialogue and mutual understanding that can help change the course of history.

For the sake of our children, we must act.