Protecting children should never be in a grey area.
It should be non-negotiable. Parliament is back in session. Sign the petition to urge the Canadian government to act now.
Join thousands calling for an end to the war on children. Sign the petition today.
Petition to the Prime Minister of Canada
Protect Children in Conflict and Reaffirm Canada’s Values-Based Leadership
Right now, 520 million children—one in five globally—are living in active conflict zones. Violence against children is rising at an alarming rate. Across the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and other crisis zones, children are facing catastrophic levels of violence, hunger, and displacement. Schools and hospitals are being attacked. Humanitarian aid is being blocked. Families are being shattered. These are not distant tragedies. They are unfolding right now.
While investments in global defence are rising, funding for peacebuilding and child protection is not responding to the scale of the need. Children are paying the highest price for wars they play no part in.
We need to stand up. Our government can do more. We call on the Government of Canada to take urgent action to protect children whose lives are being devastated by today’s conflicts.
Canada has long been known for leading with its values: compassion, justice, peace and gender equality. Our country helped build the human rights and international legal system meant to protect civilians in war. Today, as those norms are violated with growing impunity, Canada’s values‑based foreign policy is being tested. This is not a moment to step back. It is a moment to act with courage and conviction.
We have a moral responsibility to protect children. It is also about investing in a world that is safer and more prosperous for Canadians. When children survive, learn, and grow up with hope, they become adults who build peaceful societies and resilient economies.
We urge the Government of Canada to place children and their rights at the heart of Canada’s foreign policy. We are calling for Canada to:
Put children first in Canada’s foreign policy. Children are among the primary victims of conflict – they are first and most impacted. Canada should adopt a child‑centred foreign policy that consistently prioritizes their rights, needs, and safety across all international engagement.
Uphold international law and demand accountability for violations against children. Attacks on schools and hospitals and the obstruction of humanitarian aid must not go unanswered. Canada should push for justice and accountability so that those who harm children cannot act with impunity.
Provide adequate and appropriate funding to protect children in conflict. Ensure assistance is predictable, flexible, and responsive to the different needs of girls and boys.
End the sale or export of weapons and military assistance to parties that harm children. Canada must ensure that no Canadian-made weapons, components, or military support—directly or indirectly—reach governments or armed groups that commit violations against children or block life‑saving aid.
Children living through war cannot wait. Their rights and wellbeing should never be conditional. By re‑embracing its humanitarian leadership, leading with its values, and placing children at the centre of its foreign policy, Canada can help restore hope, uphold international law, and contribute to a safer, more prosperous world for all.
SIGN OUR PETITION TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT CHILDREN CAUGHT IN CONFLICT.
We call on the Prime Minister of Canada to:
- Ensure Canadian arms exports and military assistance do not reach countries or groups that harm children
- Scale up investment in child protection programming globally, pledging adequate and appropriate funding to protect children in conflict zones
- Champion a consistent, child-centred foreign policy that upholds international law and ensures those who attack children do not act with impunity
The world is funding war
Children are paying the price
In Haiti, children are being forcibly recruited by armed groups. Children are estimated to make up 30-50% of armed group members.
In Lebanon, at least six children per day have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since the so-called ceasefire was announced.
In Israeli detention centres, Palestinian children have reported being physically abused, emotionally abused, and starved.
In Ukraine, more than 3,500 children—the equivalent of about 177 classrooms—have been killed or injured since the start of full-scale war in 2022.
By the end of today, approximately 80 more children in conflict zones will be affected by grave human rights violations. By tomorrow, another 80. This isn’t just unfortunate collateral—it’s a choice governments are making every day.
Governments are cutting humanitarian aid budgets and directing resources toward military spending instead. Last year, 1% of global security spending went to peacebuilding and peacekeeping. 55% went to military defense.
Behind every statistic is a child whose world has been torn apart. Schools have become targets. Playgrounds have been reduced to rubble. For too many children, growing up has meant growing up in conflict—not because war is inevitable, but because the world has yet to fully commit to protecting them.
Canada has a role to play
Our opportunity to force the government to act is RIGHT NOW
The Prime Minister and Members of Parliament will be back in Ottawa soon. Our chance to ensure children’s rights are at the top of their agenda when Parliament resumes is right now.
Save the Children has been supporting children affected by conflict for over a century. We know that the needs of children in conflict zones are only growing. We see it every day. We also know that public pressure works. Our ability to push governments to act is strengthened when people like you stand with us.
Ulet Ifansasti/Save the Children
This is where you come in
Your voice is essential
We need you in this fight—because governments only act when their constituents take a stand.
Every child has the right to grow up safe. Add your name to ensure the lives of children in war zones are the top of the Prime Minister’s agenda when Parliament resumes this fall.
Join thousands calling for an end to the war on children. Sign the petition today.
