Defence for Children International is a worldwide movement for children’s rights with National Sections and Associated Members active across the five continents. Our mandate is to ensure effective implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the local, national and international level. Our vision is that children, as human beings, are able to pursue a life in which they can enjoy their human rights with dignity, in a just and responsible society.

Each of DCI’s National Sections works on the child rights issues that are the most relevant to their respective national contexts. Our International Secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It plays a crucial role in lobbying and advocating for children’s rights within United Nations human rights mechanisms. A World Service Foundation based in Brussels was created in 2016 to advocate toward the European Institutions.