I protest.
I protest against the poverty and hunger in which so many children are forced to live by failing societies where greed is an economic norm. In the UK, alone, one in four children officially live in poverty… yet it is relative poverty. In many countries, poverty is the norm and means utter deprivation of even the most basic necessities. Every ten seconds, a child dies from hunger and its consequences. Almost nine hundred children die every day because they have no access to clean water.
I protest against the denial of medical care to any child. Every year, over 13 million children less than 5 years die from illnesses which could have been avoided or treated.
I protest against eager minds denied education in a world where so many have access to so much. Over a hundred million children, the adults of our own future, are growing up without access to an education.
I protest against the recruitment and indoctrination of child soldiers by any organisation. It is estimated that there are more than three hundred thousand child soldiers actively engaged in war, of with a third are girls. Most have no other choice and most suffer physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
I protest the lost childhoods of children who are carers for family members. Over a half a million in the UK alone.
I protest against the young lives lost to war, murder and violence every single day. In Syria alone last year, at least 652 children were known to have been killed in the conflict. Terror attacks bring the loss ever closer to our homes; an eight year old girl was amongst the victims in the recent attack in Manchester.
I protest against the lives of children everywhere who live in fear. Thousands of children flee war-torn areas every day, many of them alone, separated from their families by war or death. Over half of the world’s refugees are children.
The picture is my granddaughter… loved, warm, safe and whole. She is now two years old and soon to be a big sister. She spends her time laughing at the world, discovering its wonders in joy and with an insatiable curiosity. She can already count and knows so many things which, to her, are magical.
She eats every day, has a room in which to sleep and is surrounded by a family of many generations who love her. She does not know how lucky she is.
Is it too much to ask that all children should be allowed to grow in love, safety and health?
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
A plea felt by so many, wished for by so many, and yet we are still powerless…
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We can all do something, sometime…and all the small things add up.
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That is true…
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Reblogged this on cabbagesandkings524 and commented:
Sue speaks for children.
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Reblogged this on Legends of Windemere.
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Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Sue’s hope for all children.
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Reblogged this on The BUTHIDARS and commented:
I want the world to live in peace. I want an end to the wasteful loss of life. How many times might we have killed the one person who could end cancer had they been allowed to live? It looks like the World isn’t ready to grant my wish so I’m ready to start small as peer this great post by Sue Vincent.
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Really important message. Was must to be reminded
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Thank you.
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I share your protest, Sue. That one child suffers or dies needlessly is a moral outrage. It’s incomprehensible that this is somehow tolerable.
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Yet it is happening in every corner of the world.
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Pingback: Protest – – 307
No Sue it is not too much to ask for all of your blog! Sadly looking at the world you would think it was! 💜
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It seems so, but we can each do something to help make the changes that need to be made.
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Yes indeed!
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Reblogged this on willowdot21 and commented:
I agree with Sue and join in with her protest!
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
YOU CAN make a difference by helping, when, where and however you can.
Why not start by going to Sue’s original blog post and reblogging / sharing her post on your media.
If it spreads far and wide enough, it might reach those in authority who can influence the necessary changes and improvements that will stop children suffering any further.
Give Politicians this message:
Give children what they need
Stop feeding your own greed
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Amen, Sue. It’s why I began tutoring (as a volunteer) middle school children.
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It is such seemingly small steps, in face of such a vast problem, that we can all take towards changing the world x
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Pingback: No weep for you Mother. | willowdot21
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
A powerful message from Sue Vincent on #InternationalChildren’sDay – She protests as we should all protest. Children are our future.. Please head over and read the entire post and support by sharing from there.. thank you.
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very nice
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Thank you.
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Reblogged this on Scotties Toy Box and commented:
This may well be the most important post made at this time. While we squabble about minor things, the most vulnerable are dying. That is a major thing. There is no arguing over the christmas design of the StarBucks cup when you are dying because you have no food and your body is devouring itself to try to live, and then you die. Tell me again why binge watching the latest hot show is important when curable diseases are ravaging people because giving billionaires more money is better than giving healthcare. Why do we deplete needed resources to keep our lawns healthy, and spend money to add chemicals to it that seep into the water system, when we have homeless hungry kids in the USA. Yes, in some places schools are feeding kids the only meals they get. Kids are homeless, and some of those are forced into selling their bodies for survival. Kids! We don’t see these as we rush to get our favorite things in the grocery stores and rush home. We look at our own kids and our parents and thank what ever good things we believe in that they have food and they have shelter and they have clothing. Some people can’t help, most don’t have the time, money, ability, and are struggling themselves. But why are we letting the greed of those who are well off, well positioned, take from the most needy to enrich themselves even more. Why do we as a people, as a country allow this. Look at your family and then promise to do what you can to force the government to do its job of helping the people, not the corporations and wealthy donors. Talk about the situation with others. Make signs to put up. IF you can volunteer. If you can only reblog an important message showing the need and how so very desperate the situation is for some of the people in our country then please do it. It will help. Please, remember you are human. Let us be the best humans we can. Help each other. Hugs
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I protest against the children sold into the sex trade. I protest at children being used as cheap labour to cut costs for goods imported into the UK and Europe.
My daughter formed a charity to support mothers and children forced to flee Syria after watching the News on TV re the horrific journey they made to flee their homes only to arrive destitute in Greece.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/547507872073647/
I hope including a link was okay.
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There are too many examples of the appalling treatment of children… and all too often they are sustained by Western economies 😦
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Hear, hear!
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Thanks Sarah.
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Reblogged this on Not Tomatoes and commented:
In honor of the children who suffer and are less fortunate, please read:
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A very valid and heartfelt post, Sue. Uplifting people out of poverty is complex in developing countries as a lot of people, women particularly, are prevented from improving themselves and their lot in life due to a lack of family planning and due to cultural norms that prevent them from making use of protective measures against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. As a result, women often have large families and are left to fend and raise them on their own. If the mothers become ill and die, the children are often left in situations where the oldest child heads up the family. It is very difficult to overcome these obstacles and many girls are still in a position where they drop out of school due to early pregnancies and can’t attend school due to a lack of sanitary products.
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I know that girls suffer these additional difficulties and it will be an uphill struggle to change cultural perceptions. But thats should not mean that we do not try or find ways to help within them.
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Reblogged this on Journey To Ambeth and commented:
I protest…
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Reblogged this on blogging807.
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My heart aches for these children, Sue. The pain you feel comes through with such force. A difficult subject to research, but you channeled your pain into writing this powerful post. I appreciate your compassion 💚
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It truly is appalling that we can treat our children so, Tina. Even at a purely selfish level, you would think we could see that these children represent our future…and what future are we creating through neglect and outight cruelty?
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We’re certainly not thinking 7 generations ahead, Sue. We’ve become so accustomed to seeing agony and terror at the push of a button that we’ve become immune to the most obvious and heart-wrenching cruelty. But the tide is turning and people are waking up ~ an unexpected side effect of electing sociopaths to positions of power. It’s a challenge to hold tight to hope and sit in love while actively resisting hate and fear. Yet I see it as the only path to our survival. Anything less will surely lead to our annihilation ♥
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I agree, Tina. We are not even looking one generation ahead…the focus seems to be on encouraging an attitude of ‘me, me, me’ and that is fostered by the values society classes as important for success.
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Indeed, Sue. I think we’ve dived deep and are clearing the rubble at the bottom. This always kicks up a lot of mud and obscures our ability to see clearly. Eventually, though, we have to surface for air or drown in the process. I’m hopeful we will surface, as more and more people wake up to the real possibility of extinction if we don’t ♥
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The ball has to hit the dround hard in order bounce. I too am hopeful ❤
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Amen and very well said. I guess that’s why I still cling to two days a week (in the real world) in a community services job. I look after people with disabilities and help make their lives a bit richer. That’s my small contribution to try and right the terrible imbalances in this world. 😦
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That is exactly the kind of action that is needed, Jess. ❤
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I am with your protest Sue. The world needs to unite with compassion and love. We need to keep talking. ❤
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Talking, not violence, is what will move us forward. ❤
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Fact! ❤
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Reblogged this on poetry, photos and musings oh my!.
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Great post. I protest too.
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I’m totally with you on this
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Thank you, Peter.
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Hear, hear!
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Reblogged this on A Writer's Life and commented:
Important read for everybody.
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Well done. Reblogged on A Writer’s Life
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Thank you.
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Sue, I agree wholeheartedly with every injustice you have listed. No child should be hungry, alone, afraid, killed or maimed or hurt in any way; No child should be without arms to hold and protect him. No child should be without medical care. I do not understand a world where this goes on and more people don’t do something about it. If each adult helped just one child, what a difference it would make.
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I agree, Michelle…it would take so little to change so much.
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Reblogged this on Autumn Leaves and commented:
On Thursday, we in the UK have a chance to vote for a more compassionate society. Do please read the pledges of the various parties with a view to greater compassion and justice, both in this country and abroad. And then vote for the party that you think most likely to try to bring about change.
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Unfortunately greed is not the economic norm otherwise reform would be a lot easier and things haven’t changed much since the beginning of civilisation. What we have is a pyramid of wealth , at the top the elite and at the bottom the starving and destitute. If you are lucky enough to be born into a relatively rich country then your already a good way up the pyramid and poverty is often just no running hot water. If you are born in India you may be among the twenty million who defecate in the open and have no toilets.
In the animal world it’s called the pecking order ; the strongest and most capable survivors at the top and the weakest to the wall. It’s
part of animal and human nature as studied by Mr Darwin in his theory of evolution. Humans have moral consciences which makes them protest against the law of blood and claw , but they also have a huge evolutionary baggage which fuels selfish ambition.
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I would say that greed is the normal position for the majority of those in power and the carrot that is dangled before the rest of us… we are taught to want all the trappings of ‘success’, even though the definition of that word is debatable.
Having known both the relative poverty of homelessness and hunger in a supposedly developed country as well as the relative comfort of being decently housed, warm and fed, I would question how we define success.
Whatever the reasons… by failing our children, worldwide, we fail ourselves as a species too.
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You must not single out those in power for power is also a pyramid the wealthier you are the greater your freedom and power. That is why the young struggle to get qualifications , not to proliferate justice but to increase their wealth. Each layer is full of those struggling to climb to the next one above for it is human to want more after all it made us humans the top-dogs of global life.
It is dangerous thinking to split the world into them and us we are one race.
Religion sought to teach us all a better way and many dedicated followers did and do follow the precept of loving there neighbours today, but like all human organisations it was hijacked by the more selfish to fill there own coffers.
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I do not split the world, I merely observe the splits caused by inequality and injustice. There are those who give all they are to make a better quality of life for themselves and their children, yet will never be able to reach the most basic standard of care that the developed nations take for granted. No child should be denied education or have to walk miles for a simple drink of water…especially when the world as a whole is wealthy enough to address the problem.
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