Advocacy
ChildFund is committed to protecting and advancing children’s and youth’s rights through advocacy — from amplifying young voices to demanding laws and policies to better protect and support them, from working toward an internet that’s safer for children to building stronger communities at the local, national and global levels.
Why advocate for — and with — young people?
We’ve learned from experience that it’s not enough to support individual children, youth and families. For more children to grow up healthy, educated and safe, we must advocate for systemic change, enacting and implementing laws and regulations that put children and youth first.
Leading, for me, is already natural because people have invested in my skills so that I could recognize my rights and strength — and understand that I can represent other girls!
Here’s how ChildFund invests in strengthening our advocacy capacity in both the U.S. and the countries where we work around the world.
Country-Level Advocacy
ChildFund uses evidence-driven advocacy to strengthen policies and systems that protect children and support their well-being. Our Country Offices partner with governments, communities and young people to turn local insights into policy change at every level.
By combining evidence, community leadership and youth participation, we keep advocacy grounded in the experiences of children and families. A global monitoring framework helps us measure the reach and potential impact of policy and systems change.
From Brazil and the Philippines to Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and The Gambia, we have advanced child-focused policies and elevated young advocates.
Girls attend a school meeting on children’s rights as part of ChildFund’s Jukumu Letu child protection project in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya.
ChildFund youth club members in Keonjhar District, India, perform a street play to educate their community about the dangers of child marriage.
ChildFund staff and youth participate in a run against child labor in Bukidnon Province, Philippines.
Youth in their early 20s participate in a ChildFund youth club in Ziguinchor, Senegal, a weekly meeting where young people raise awareness about problems in their communities, learn leadership skills, make friends and discuss opportunities to increase civic engagement and educational support.
Advocacy Priorities
As more and more children gain access to the internet and spend more time online, reports of online sexual abuse and exploitation are skyrocketing.
Online sexual exploitation and abuse of children (OSEAC) includes all acts of a sexually exploitative or abusive nature carried out against a child that have, at some stage, a connection to the online environment and/or is facilitated by technology. ChildFund, through efforts like the #TakeItDown campaign and the End OSEAC Coalition, a network of like-minded organizations, are working hard to bring the U.S. government, Big Tech and others together to stop this rising threat to children.
High-level achievements: The African Union Model Law on Online Safety, Project Safe Childhood Act, Brazil’s ECA Digital Law to Protect Children Online.The TAKE IT DOWN Act 2025, the "Big Tech" CEO Senate Hearing, the REPORT Act, the SHIELD Act; Kenya: The Children Act 2022; the Philippines' Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act; and Guatemala's DECRETO NÚMERO 11-2022
Reports & Publications
- End OSEAC Coalition Letter to Congress Supporting Stop CSAM Act
- Protecting Children Online Through Policy (Summary report and Executive Summary)
- Africa Child Policy Forum Brief: OCSEA: Policy, Programmatic Efforts and GapsOCSEA: Policy, Programmatic Efforts and Gaps
- Africa Child Policy Forum Brief:OCSEA: Scale, Drivers and Impact
- Africa Child Policy Forum Brief:OCSEA: Vulnerability Factors, Current Efforts and Way Forward
- FY25 Appropriations
- Recommendations to the Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force
- End OSEAC Coalition Endorsements
ChildFund’s vision is for all young people to have the chance to reach their fullest potential. Through Child Partnership, a coalition of individuals and non-governmental organizations, we are pursuing a shared mission: to improve children’s and young people’s lives around the world by investing in and prioritizing their critical needs through U.S. foreign assistance. By championing a “whole child” approach, we recognize the interconnected needs of children and youth worldwide to ensure their safety, well-being, and opportunity to thrive.
Reports & Publications:
- FY26 OMB letter
- FY25 Support for Children and Youth Globally FY25 Community Recommendations
- Policy Brief: The Urgent Need for a Holistic Approach to Supporting Children and Youth through US Foreign Policy
- Policy Brief: US Foreign Policy Recommendations for Children and Youth Affected by Conflict
- Empowering Girls: Assessing the U.S. Government’s Commitment and Action
Together with other civil society partners, we are working to raise awareness and increase U.S. commitment to global efforts that improve the survival and health of mothers and children under age 5 in low-resource countries. We are members of the Thrive Coalition, which is a group of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving all aspects of early childhood development around the world, including child protection, education, health, positive parenting and more. This includes pushing for the implementation of the Global Child Thrive Act, which directs the U.S. government to integrate early childhood development programming for vulnerable children and family members throughout foreign assistance programs.
Advocacy Spotlight: #TakeItDown
In 2023, ChildFund launched the #TakeItDown campaign, which asks the U.S. public to hold tech companies accountable for children’s safety on their platforms. Centering on the “Monster” campaign video, which was inspired by art created by children who have experienced online abuse, the campaign is delivered through social media and directs viewers to a website where they can contact their legislators and demand change. The campaign has seen enormous success and has led to movement on several important online safety bills including the REPORT Act (which was signed into law in May 2024), the January 2024 Senate Judiciary Hearing on online safety and the inclusion of the campaign PSA in the Department of Homeland Security’s iGuardian trainings in schools around the country. #TakeItDown also received widespread industry recognition, winning several awards including a Webby for best social impact campaign.
Meet the Advocacy Team