Protecting children’s rights on World Children’s Day
20 November 2025Every year on 20 November, the world marks World Children’s Day – a reminder of our collective responsibility to protect children’s rights and ensure that all children grow up safe, supported, and empowered. Across the East and Central Europe region – in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and Romania – where children continue to navigate displacement, uncertainty, and the long-term impacts of the war, this commitment has never been more urgent.
A group of children at a Child-Friendly Space with partner Voices of Children. © Plan International
Across the region’s response, Plan International and our partners are creating safe, nurturing environments where children can learn, heal, connect with others, and simply be children again, despite the constant insecurity caused by daily air-raid alarms and ongoing displacement.
Building Back Better II
Through the BMZ-funded Building Back Better II project, children receive continuous psychosocial support and take part in daily activities that help restore emotional balance and a sense of normality. In child-friendly spaces, children paint, move, play, build, and explore – activities intentionally designed to reduce anxiety, strengthen resilience, and provide moments of carefree childhood that so many have been deprived of since the start of the war.
The project also works closely with parents and caregivers through guided family sessions, reinforcing positive parenting and helping adults better understand and respond to children’s emotional and developmental needs. By improving both the physical environments where children learn and the emotional environments in which they grow, the project contributes to rebuilding their confidence, sense of safety, and overall well-being.
Champions of Change
Children also benefit from contextualised sessions of Plan International’s Champions of Change programme, which introduce them to concepts such as fairness, empathy, cooperation, and respectful behaviour. These playful and engaging sessions use storytelling, games, and dialogue to help children understand how to treat others with care, express their own feelings safely, and recognise – and gently challenge – everyday injustices.
Through Champions of Change, children learn to value themselves and others, to understand their emotions, and to build supportive friendships. These early lessons on equality, respect, and kindness create a strong foundation for healthy development and help children navigate the uncertainties of growing up during conflict.
Voices of Children
Voices of Children, Plan’s GFFO-funded partner, offers children and their families additional opportunities to receive emotional support and engage in safe, age-appropriate activities. In Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and surrounding communities, teams provide both group and individual sessions for children, parents, and caregivers in child-friendly spaces.
Alongside psychosocial support, the initiative offers comprehensive assistance – from case management for families with children to one-day recreational camps that give children a much-needed break from stress and routine. These activities help children express their feelings, regain a sense of stability, and experience moments of joy and connection.
Above all, the initiative ensures that children’s voices, needs, and well-being remain at the centre of the support they receive – especially in times of crisis.
Our commitment
On World Children’s Day, we reaffirm a simple truth:
Every child, everywhere – in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Romania, and beyond – has the right to safety, dignity, education, and hope.
Despite immense challenges, children across the ECE region demonstrate remarkable courage and resilience. Our responsibility is to stand beside them – not only by meeting immediate needs, but by nurturing their creativity, confidence, and potential.
Today, and every day, Plan International remains committed to supporting children across the region and protecting their rights.
Categories: Education, Emergencies, Protection from violence
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