Universal Declaration of the Rights of the World's Children

We, the Children of the World, assert our inalienable right to be heard and to have a political voice at the United Nations and at the highest levels of governments worldwide. We, the Children of the World, must live with justice, with peace and freedom, but above all, with the dignity we deserve.

We, the Children of the World, require a Marshall Plan, a Geneva Convention, and a World Children’s Court of Human Rights which meets regularly to listen to the testimonies as to what is actually happening to us.  We intend to provide our own testimonies. We, the Children of the World, demand the right to be taken to safe shelters in situations of war. We, the Children of the World, consider hunger, disease, forced labour, and all forms of abuse and exploitation perpetrated upon us to be war. We, the Children of the World, have had no political voice. We demand such a voice. We, the Children of the World, will develop our own leadership, and set an example that will show governments how to live in peace and freedom. We, the Children of the World, serve notice on our abusers and exploiters, whoever they may be, that from this day hence, we will begin the process of holding you responsible for our suffering. Betty Williams 1997

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