We Are United in Our Dedication to Children’s Rights

Our Approach

Vision and Mission: 

Defense for Children International (DCI) is an independent grassroots and rights- based non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes and protects children’s rights on a global, regional, national and local level.

DCI affirms that all children must be respected and that their basic and fundamental human rights –civil, political, economic, social and cultural– be guaranteed without any discrimination, regardless of their ethnic origin, gender, religion, personal or family situation.

We envision children, as fully-fledged human beings, enjoy and exercise their rights with dignity in a just and responsible society.

Defense for children International currently has 47 sections around the world and an International Secretariat (Geneva). Each section is a member of the international General Assembly of DCI, which convenes every there yearsadditionally, DCI holds consultative status on the United National Economic and Social Council, UNICEF, and the Council of Europe.

DCI Objectives: 

The general objectives of DEFENCE FOR CHILDREN – INTERNATIONAL are as follows: 

  1. To provide an institutional reference point for local, national and international efforts which promote, protect, defend and develop the human rights of every child, in accordance with national and international legislation. 
  2. To ensure that children, whose rights have been threatened, restricted or violated, benefit from – no less than – immediate and accessible protective mechanisms. 
  3. Create extensive social and educational communication frameworks in order to raise-awareness, stimulate debate and shape public opinion on children and their realities. 
  4. Implement projects and initiatives intended to directly and effectively protect the rights of the child, particularly in geographical areas where issues are not addressed by existing organizations. 
  5. Develop public inquiry and complaint strategies, on a national and international level, for the individual and collective human and fundamental rights violations of children.
  6. Support the establishment of public spaces wherein children may have the possibility to take on a lead role, favouring their social participation, decisions which affect them and the formation of a dignified standard of living. 
  7. Monitor the development and implementation of policies, laws and other actions involving children. 

Guiding Principles:

The Global Movement of DEFENCE FOR CHILDREN – INTERNATIONAL (DCI) abides by the following principles:

  • The best interests of the child. 
  • Recognition that the rights of the child are human rights. 
  • The doctrine of integral protection, as a conceptual and political framework used to work towards protecting the rights of the child.
  • Child participation as an essential requirement for children to be enabled to fully exercise their rights.
  • The promotion of life and peace.
  • Constant search for a new and fairer international economic order.
  • Gender, age and cultural equality.
  • Inter-institutional and inter-sectorial coordination such as: special partnerships for joint action in order to exercise and guarantee the rights of the child, and as a basis for monitoring the actions of governments and civil society.
  • Shared responsibility of government, society, community and the family as guiding principle in all actions.
  • DCI recognizes children as developing beings, and therefore promotes various levels of action to be taken by the state, society and the family, so as to ensure this principle and child participation in the drafting of public policies.
  • In this respect, DCI ensures compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) signed in New York on 20th November 1989, its Optional Protocols and other international and national instruments concerning the rights of the child; DCI will continue to monitor governments in the fulfillment of their obligations and the respect of human rights.