No Child Should Be a Military Target
Parliament resumes soon. Sign the petition to urge the Prime Minister to act.
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Every day, children in war zones are being targeted, injured, and killed. Schools, playgrounds, and homes have been turned to rubble.
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.
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.