This month, we celebrate Children's Day both internationally and in India. The origin of Children's Day internationally dates back to the early 20th century, when child welfare activists and organisations began emphasising the importance of children's rights.

In 1954, the United Nations established Universal Children's Day, celebrated annually on November 20, to promote international togetherness and awareness about children's welfare. In India, however, Children's Day is celebrated on November 14, marking the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first Prime Minister, who was greatly fond of children and believed that they were the real strength of a nation.

As we celebrate Children's Day on November 14 and 20, the urgency of the question "Are our children safe today?" is palpable. Despite progress in legislation, education, and child welfare initiatives, millions of children continue to suffer from abuse. Children's Day offers not merely an occasion to celebrate the joy and innocence of childhood, but a moral call to conscience for societies, institutions, and faith communities alike.

The safety and well-being of children are not optional concerns; they are central to our shared humanity and to the Gospel message. In today's world, still plagued by violence, poverty, and neglect, the challenge of protecting children's dignity has become both urgent and universal.

The State of the World's Children: A Global Picture
According to the UNICEF "State of the World's Children 2023" report, nearly 1 billion children — almost half of the world's child population — live in multidimensional poverty, lacking access to basic necessities such as education, healthcare, and safe shelter.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that one in four children under the age of 5 lives in conditions of severe environmental risk, exposed to unsafe water, air pollution, and inadequate sanitation. Even more troubling, violence and abuse remain persistent realities. The World Health Organisation's 2022 Global Status Report on preventing violence against children estimates that up to 1 billion children between the ages of 2 and 17 experience physical, sexual, or emotional violence annually.

Such data underscores what Pope Francis has repeatedly called the "scandal of indifference." In his 2019 address to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, he lamented, "The Church and society as a whole must take seriously the protection of minors, placing their dignity above any other interest or institutional concern." Children's safety is beyond a social issue; it is a spiritual and moral imperative.

The Church's Vision of the Child
The Catholic Church has long affirmed the profound dignity of every child as a gift of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC, 2221–2231) teaches that parents and society share responsibility for safeguarding a child's physical and spiritual well-being. This duty flows from the sacred truth that each child is made "in the image and likeness of God" (Genesis 1:27).

The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes (1965), declares that children "should be so reared that, as adults, they can follow their vocation" (GS 52). This statement reflects the right of children to safety, to flourish, to grow, to love, to trust, and to live without fear.

St Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (1981), called the family the "first and vital cell of society" and insisted that it must be "a sanctuary of life." He wrote, "Every child has the right to grow up in a family founded on love and guided by moral values."

Protecting children is not merely a task for governments or agencies; it begins within the family and extends to the whole community. Each member of the community has a role to play in ensuring the safety and well-being of our children.

Contemporary Challenges to Child Safety
In our modern world, threats to children's safety have become more complex. The digital age, for instance, has created new avenues for exploitation. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2024 reported that online sexual exploitation and abuse of children increased by more than 80% during the COVID-19 pandemic, as children spent more time online with limited supervision.

Cyberbullying, grooming, and exposure to harmful content further highlight the urgency of digital literacy and ethical responsibility. Migration and conflict also endanger millions of children. According to UNHCR (2024), over 43 million children are currently displaced due to war, persecution, or climate change. Many of them are separated from their families and at risk of trafficking or exploitation.

Pope Francis has called these "the invisible children of our conscience." In his 2020 message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he wrote, "Every child forced to flee their home must be welcomed, protected, promoted, and integrated." These are the contemporary challenges that we must address to ensure the safety of our children.

The Church's Response: From Awareness to Action
The Church has taken decisive steps to ensure that children are protected, not only spiritually but also institutionally. Pope Benedict XVI, addressing the Irish bishops in 2010, wrote poignantly, "The wounds caused by child abuse will not heal quickly, and the Church must take every measure to ensure that such acts can never occur again."

His words remind us that safeguarding children is not only about justice, it is about healing, rebuilding trust, and restoring hope. Hence, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, established by Pope Francis in 2014, develops guidelines and best practices for safeguarding across dioceses worldwide. In his 2021 Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, Pope Francis emphasised the need for transparency, accountability, and healing within the Church's mission.

Moreover, numerous bishops' conferences and Catholic organisations now operate child protection offices, implement training programs, and offer counselling and support for survivors of abuse. Pope Francis, in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation "Amoris Laetitia" (2016), declares that "children are a gift; they must be loved, cared for, and protected," urging parents and institutions to defend children against every form of exploitation.

Furthermore, in Come una Madre Amorevole (2016), Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela (2021), Vademecum 2.0 (2022), Vos Estis Lux Mundi (2023), and the canonical legislation (cf. canon 1398), institutional accountability was established by mandating Catholic Church authorities to report and address any delict of abuse of minors, underscoring that silence and cover-up are unacceptable before God and humanity. These initiatives embody the Church's ongoing conversion, an acknowledgement that authentic evangelisation demands protecting the vulnerable first.

Our Call to Collective Action
Children's safety requires more than compassion; it requires courage, advocacy, and reform. Governments must enforce stronger child protection laws. Schools and religious institutions must adopt transparent safeguarding measures. Families must cultivate environments of listening, respect, and mutual care. And each of us must learn to recognise and respond to the silent cries of children who suffer in our midst.

Pope Francis, in his 2023 address for the World Day of the Child, declared, "A society that fails to protect its children has no future." Indeed, the measure of any civilisation is how it treats its smallest members. When children are safe, societies thrive; when they are harmed, humanity is diminished. Hence, beyond policies and surveys, the safety of children points to a more profound theological truth: every child is a sign of God's hope for humanity.

Jesus Himself placed a child in the midst of His disciples and said, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me" (Matthew 18:5). The Gospel thus identifies care for children as care for Christ Himself. Therefore, in his 2016 exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis observed, "Children are a living reflection of the family's love; they are its fruit and its constant reminder that life is fragile and sacred." Protecting them, therefore, is both a moral and sacramental act, an expression of divine love made visible.

Building a Culture of Care
On this Children's Day, on November 14 and 20, the call of the Gospel and the cry of our world converge to build what Pope Francis calls a "culture of care" — a society rooted in solidarity, justice, and love. Protecting children is not only about shielding them from harm, but also about nurturing their capacity for joy, creativity, and faith.

In the words of St Pope John Paul II, "Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see." The message we send depends on the safety, dignity, and hope we give them today. Therefore, the safety of children is a universal concern that transcends geographical, cultural, and religious boundaries. Children, as the most vulnerable members of society, rely on adults, institutions, and governments for protection, care, and moral guidance.

Yet, the question "Are children safe?" remains disturbingly relevant in today's world. Let us therefore renew our commitment to creating homes, schools, society, and nations where every child can live, dream, and grow in peace.