On Monday, 25 November Save the Children Australia will mark its Centenary year with a national event at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Consistent with its founding principles, Save the Children Australia has used its Centenary year to highlight the impact of conflict on children.
The Canberra event will continue the campaign to Stop the War on Children, amplifying the plight of children caught up in wars waged by adults in places like Syria, Yemen and Myanmar.
Reflecting on Save the Children’s advocacy to repatriate the children of Australian foreign fighters from Syria, Acting CEO Mat Tinkler said while not always popular, defending the rights of the most vulnerable children will always guide the organisation’s work.
“As our founder, Eglantyne Jebb said 100 years ago, children are always innocent,” said Mr Tinkler.
“It is perhaps one of the most damning indictments on humanity that children are still suffering from wars waged by adults.”
“We’re incredibly pleased to be able to bring two speakers to Canberra who can talk so expertly on the impact of war on children, and our work on the ground.”
“The simple idea, that all children caught in conflict should be protected, continues to be one of the driving forces behind our work today.”
“Tragically, the need for Save the Children is just as real today as it was 100 years ago.”
Dr Susan Neuhaus CSC, will be keynote speaker at the event, drawing on her experience as a distinguished Army officer and highly respected conflict medicine expert. Dr Neuhaus served as Clinical Director and surgeon in the multinational NATO hospital in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan in 2009.
Save the Children’s Syria Response Director, Sonia Khush will also speak, providing an update on the situation and the humanitarian need in the region.
Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper and former chief political correspondent for SBS TV, Karen Middleton will MC the event which political leaders and key decision-makers are expected to attend.
Throughout 2019, the Save the Children’s Stop the War on Children campaign has advocated to ensure:
- All children are protected, and schools are protected from attack and military use, during war;
- All perpetrators of atrocities against children during war are systematically held to account; and
- More funds are committed to assist the recovery of children from physiological and physical harm caused by war.
In its Centenary year, Save the Children has released a number of reports highlighting the harrowing impact of war on children, as well as a first of its kind field manual on treating children with blast injuries. These documents can be found here.
For interviews, call Kimberley Gardiner on 0437 435 777