What: Invest in community-led research on domestic violence and children’s rights, focusing on rural and suburban areas to address critical gaps in knowledge, programmes, and policies. A comprehensive approach is needed that embraces diversity and considers the unique experiences of Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, people of all genders, and marginalized groups.

How:

1. Secure funding from donors for community-led, participatory research initiatives.
2. Collaborate with academic and community organizations to conduct studies that engage local voices and perspectives, building on already existing ones.
3. Utilize research findings to inform and shape targeted policies and support services for affected communities.

What: Ensure universal access to healthcare by investing in health infrastructure, including digital solutions, to provide quality care for everyone, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. This is especially crucial for survivors of VAC and GBV, who require dignified access to comprehensive care tailored to their specific needs. Within this approach, it is important to respect the traditional healing practices of indigenous communities.

How:

1. Enhance digital literacy and support digital health innovation to modernize health systems and eliminate barriers to care
2. Foster youth entrepreneurship through funding, mentorship, and partnerships with healthcare and tech organizations to develop innovative solutions for health challenges affecting children, particularly survivors of VAC and GBV.
3. Invest in digital platforms that provide young people, especially survivors of VAC and GBV, with safe and confidential spaces for counseling and therapy.

What: Implement comprehensive child protection and safeguarding policies in all schools, including protocols for handling abuse disclosures and educating teachers, students, and caregivers about personal safety to prevent Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).

How:

1. Integrate child protection and personal safety into the school curriculum to empower students and inform parents and caregivers, while providing educators with training on recognizing, preventing, and responding to CSA effectively.
2. Establish mental health counselors in schools and universities to support the emotional well-being of children and young people, particularly survivors of VAC and GBV.
3. Strengthen coordination between law enforcement and schools to create efficient reporting processes and establish safe environments for children.
4. Develop and enforce adherence to child protection policies and systems for prevention and intervention of Child Sexual Abuse

What: Safeguard vulnerable migrant children and youth, especially those at borders, from trafficking and exploitation arising from their precarious situations. These children and youth face significant risks of GBV and VAC, with girls particularly at risk of sexual violence and boys vulnerable to coercion into exploitative labor or gangs. The trauma of displacement can severely impact their mental health and well-being.

How:

1. Fund and support community-based organizations to implement targeted interventions for migrant children, focusing on preventing and responding to VAC and GBV.
2. Address the unique needs of children at different stages of mobility – origin, transit, and return – by developing context-specific strategies that prioritize their protection and mental health, particularly regarding the risks of GBV and VAC during transitions.

What: Provide funding and support to young people and youth-led groups and organizations to address GBV and VAC.

How: 

1. Offer flexible, multi-year core grants directly to young activists and both formal and informal child/youth-led groups and organizations to tackle issues that impact them.
2. Provide additional support and accompaniment, such as capacity-building in monitoring, evaluation, and learning, to strengthen youth-led initiatives addressing GBV and VAC.

What: Introduce mandatory CSE in  school curricula and community programmes as a strategy to prevent GBV

How:

1. Train educators to effectively deliver age-appropriate CSE, covering topics such as consent, healthy masculinity, recognizing and addressing school-related GBV, and menstrual hygiene management to help girls feel safe, confident, and included.
2. Support and train parents, community members, religious leaders and other key stakeholders to champion and deliver CSE within their communities.

What: Increase legal support for GBV survivors by providing legal aid, representation, and training for law enforcement to ensure access to trauma informed justice and protection.

How: 

1. Raise awareness of GBV reporting mechanisms in communities.
2. Create laws focused on the protection and safeguarding of children, with special care to avoid re-victimizing them.
3. Establish child-friendly courts and justice systems with confidential, trauma-informed processes for reporting and seeking justice.
4. Equip health, social workers, and justice officers with skills for trauma-informed care and legal response strategies.
5. Create independent monitoring bodies to ensure effective implementation of child protection and anti-GBV laws, holding perpetrators accountable.

What: Ensure that all children and youth, particularly those vulnerable to violence, have access to leadership development programmes and extracurricular activities that empower them to advocate for their rights and safety.

How: 

1. Provide equal opportunities for children and youth to develop advocacy skills, particularly in violence prevention.
2. Create mentorship programmes that connect vulnerable children and youth with leadership role models to promote safety and resilience within their communities.

What: Address the effects of climate change in schools, specifically focusing on how environmental challenges can lead to increased violence and aggression against girls.

How: 

1. Implement education programmes in schools that highlight the connection between climate change and GBV.
2. Encourage children and youth to engage in climate action by providing incentives that promote their involvement in creating a safer and more sustainable environment.

What: Invest in developing digital platforms that promote education and collaboration on children’s rights issues, fostering intercultural and international relationships among schools.

How: 

1. Create user-friendly digital platforms that enable schools to share resources and collaborate on children’s rights initiatives.
2. Provide training for educators on effectively using these tools to engage students in meaningful discussions about children’s rights.

What: Promote online safety and protect the digital rights of children and young people.

How: 

1. Raise awareness of online GBV and enhance social media literacy and education on digital safety in collaboration with young people.
2. Implement policies and laws aimed at improving digital safety and safeguarding the digital rights of children and young people.