One Year Later: Advancing a Global Movement to End Violence Against Children
24.11.2025
In 2024, Lumos joined representatives from governments, CSOs, those with lived experience, and other stakeholders gathered in Bogotá, Colombia, for the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children.
Convened by the Government of Colombia, and supported by stakeholders including the Government of Sweden, UNICEF, the UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), this event marked the first step in a new and bold movement for an end to violence against children. This month, were delighted to celebrate and mark the 1st anniversary of the conference.
The link between violence against children and care reform
Lumos’ 20 years of experience working in child protection has demonstrated that violence against children and institutionalisation are deeply interconnected issues, connecting in three main ways.
Violence against children in the home or the community is a major driver of family separation and the institutionalisation of children. In institutional care, violence is commonplace, and children with disabilities living in institutions often face even higher rates of violence than their peers. Thirdly, the wide range of direct and indirect harms experienced by children in institutional care, and the fact that it denies children of their right to grow up in a family, institutionalisation can be considered a form of violence against children itself.
For these reasons, Lumos welcomed the Global Ministerial Conference, and representatives from Lumos’ global office, along with two young people from the Lumos Youth Advisory Board in Colombia, travelled to Bogotá last year to take part in the event. Lumos was also delighted to see that over 100 countries made pledges to address violence against children. Many states made pledges which would directly address the connection between violence against children and institutionalisation; the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, and Paraguay were among those countries who made specific pledges around the reform of care services.
Globally, the momentum built in Bogotá last year has continued to grow. A series of virtual events known as Digital Dialogues have been organised by WHO and UNICEF in coalition with a range of partners, including Lumos, each focusing on a particular thematic issue relating to violence against children. These events have been an opportunity for governments, civil society organisations, experts, and those with lived experience, to share the progress which has been made since the first Ministerial Conference, highlighting challenges and successes along the way.
Taking action now
Mr. Peter Ochieng and Grace Mwangi, Lumos Kenya Country Director, open the Positive Parenting Training Service Centre in March 2025.
This year, Lumos Kenya launched the National Positive Parenting Programme, with Embu County leading the way as a model for the nation. The initiative, officially unveiled on March 7th in partnership with the Kenyan Government, aims to equip parents and caregivers with the skills and tools to raise children in an environment without violence, fostering love and supporting families across the region.
This initiative was in light of a 2019 survey, finding that nearly half of Kenyan girls (45.9%) and over half of boys (56.1%) face violence in childhood, often from parents or caregivers. Poverty, disability, harmful traditions, and family struggles leave millions of children vulnerable. The Positive Parenting Programme is part of a broader plan to support two million families by 2027 and shift children from orphanages to family-based care under the National Care Reform Strategy for Children in Kenya (2022-2032).
Grace Mwangi, Lumos Kenya Country Director, called the centres ‘Family Health Clinics,’ emphasising their role in helping parents create loving environments where children can thrive. The programme prioritises diverse groups, including parents of children with disabilities, young parents, and families in crisis, to prevent violence and reduce reliance on institutional care.
Looking Forward
This month’s anniversary event has been an exciting opportunity for the community to gather together and look back at a year of progress on ending violence against children, and look ahead to the 2026 Second Ministerial Conference.
A range of speakers from across the globe, representing government, civil society, and those with lived experience, all took part to share about the work they have been doing to address violence against children in their contexts, and it was encouraging to hear of the steps which have already been taken to fulfil the promises made in 2024. It was also announced that the second Global Ministerial Conference will be taking place in Manila, the Philippines, in 2026.
At Lumos, we are excited that the planning process for the second Global Ministerial Conference has begun. We hope that the event prioritises accountability for all stakeholders to deliver on their pledges, and that the voices of children and young people with lived experience are at the heart of the event. We also look forward to working with our partners to address the issue of violence against children as it relates to Lumos’ mission, in our country programs and globally.
Lumos is committed to working with global, national and local partners to end violence against children in all its forms. This cannot be achieved without the transformation of care systems globally to ensure that children are able to grow up in safe and loving families.
-Howard Taylor, Lumos CEO.
The words of Teodoro J Herbosa, Secretary of Health for the Philippines, echoed our thoughts at the end of the anniversary event:
Progress is possible, and progress is happening … [We are] guided by evidence, strengthened by solidarity and inspired by the pledges. [Next year, we ] Resolve to do more and better for the billions of children.
About Lumos
Lumos works to realise every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world. Our vision is a world in which all children grow up in safe and loving families within supported communities.
Founded in 2005 by author J.K. Rowling, Lumos partners with governments, civil society and young people with lived experience to transform care systems globally and advocate for family-based solutions that help children thrive. We ensure that families receive the support they need to stay together or reunite, and that children grow up in family-based settings such as foster or kinship care, not institutions. Despite clear evidence of the harms of institutionalisation, an estimated 5.4 million children worldwide continue to live in institutions. And a much larger number of children are at risk of institutionalisation – those living in poverty, experiencing domestic violence and abuse, and living in countries affected by conflict.
Media Contacts
Please contact Freya Paleit, Associate Director of Communications & Marketing at [email protected].
