TERRE des Hommes Netherlands (TdH NL), through its Project "Creating a safer Online Environment for Every Child" (Conec) and Project "Safety for Children and their Rights Online" (Scrol), held the "Konek+Syon: Kabataan at OSAEC Ngayong Eleksyon – the 2024 Children and Youth Summit," at the B Hotel, Quezon City on Nov. 22 to 23 in celebration of this year's National Children's Month.

The period towards the 2025 Philippine midterm elections is a significant opportunity for children and youth to amplify their voices and urge political candidates, incumbent leaders and lawmakers to prioritize their issues and concerns.

During the summit, over a hundred of children and youth delegates developed a National Children's Agenda, containing their key demands and recommendations to electoral candidates and duty-bearers to respond to urgent issues affecting children and youth nationwide such as violence against children, child trafficking, child labour, offline and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), discrimination faced by queer children, child marriage, disasters and the climate crisis.

This momentous event also facilitated the formation of a unified network of child and youth-led organizations that will advocate for this agenda, ensuring that it will reach electoral candidates and decision-makers.

This network will support TdH NL as one of its partners in promoting children's rights, and lobbying for inclusive and gender-responsive legislations, policies and programmes to protect children from exploitation and appropriately support victims and their families.

The summit ended with a response from the Department of Social Welfare and Development's Office of the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, and Attached and Supervised Agencies, reflecting its commitment to work with children and young people to build a safer and equal world for everyone.

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