Child Rights

Every child should have quality healthcare, a good education, and a safe home and community. But the United States lags behind other nations in protecting these basic rights. America has one of the highest infant mortality rates among developed nations, and the United States leads the world in violence against children and child poverty. Child farmworkers in the U.S. also continue to work in dangerous conditions at very young ages, and the United States is also one of the only nations that has failed to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. First Focus is working to educate policymakers about the need for reforms that protect the basic rights of every child in America.
Resources
Letter: Correct the Inequities in COVID-19 Response
Bruce Lesley | April 20, 2020 |
First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to Congressional leaders in both houses with a set of recommendations to address the needs …
Kids & COVID-19: Resource Hub
First Focus Campaign for Children | April 16, 2020 |
The impact on children from COVID-19 is immense. It is also variable and complicated. Every facet of the lives of children and families are …
Statement: Senate package good first step for kids but children need more robust measures
Michele Kayal | March 26, 2020 |
We commend Senate lawmakers’ unanimous passage of the $2 trillion coronavirus emergency bill, and even more, for using it to offer relief to America’s …
Letter: Prioritize the well-being of children as you respond to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Bruce Lesley | March 20, 2020 |
First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to Congressional leaders in both houses, urging them to prioritize the well-being of children in …
Statement: Congress’s coronavirus response is a good first step, but bigger, bolder measures are needed
Michele Kayal | March 18, 2020 |
We applaud Congress for passing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, providing families and children with increased food and nutrition assistance, supplemental state funding …
First Focus Campaign for Children identifies 120 lawmakers who prioritize children
Michele Kayal | March 12, 2020 |
In 2019, nearly one-in-six of our nation’s children lived in poverty. The number of kids without health insurance rose to more than 4 million, …
Letter: Children should not be treated as an afterthought — pass these bipartisan and common sense bills
Bruce Lesley | January 10, 2020 |
First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to all 100 U.S. Senators, urging them to consider legislation that would improve the lives …
Letter: On the “Best Interests of the Child” Standard and Policy Packages
| July 29, 2019 |
On June 18, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to House Democratic Leadership regarding the “best interests of the child” standard …
Letter: Our Support for the Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act (S.2113)
| July 29, 2019 |
On July 24, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to the Senate Democratic Leadership in support of the Stop Cruelty to …
Letter: In Support of the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Patrol Custody Act
| June 24, 2019 |
First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter in support of H.R. 3239, the “Save Kids Act,” by Representative Raul Ruiz. Excerpt: On behalf …