Connect Children Now

Women’s Voices on International Women’s Day “Have Mercy on Our Children”

On International Women’s Day, while the world celebrates women’s strength, many women in Lebanon are speaking from shelters, displacement, and fear asking only one thing: protection for their children.

This is not the first time war has erupted in Lebanon. Every generation has carried its share of terror echoing with the sounds of fear and scenes of death and destruction.
Such recurring violence has driven women to raise their voices against attacks on unarmed civilians, crying out:
“If you do not wish to show mercy to us, then at least have mercy on our children.”

Alya, one of the displaced women who fled from the south to Beirut’s southern suburbs and later to a relatively safer town, shares her testimony:

“Our lives no longer seem to matter we have faced death too many times. But our greatest fear is for our children. If we are lucky, we wake them from their beds while they sleepbefore we are forced to pull them from beneath the rubble.”

Meanwhile, Lama, a volunteer at one of the shelter centers, explains:

“There is little difference between the tragedy we commemorate on International Women’s Day and the suffering we are witnessing today. In both cases, women endure immense pain if not through flames, then through the hardships and losses imposed upon them. Here, we do everything we can to ease their burden, just as volunteers are doing in shelters across safer areas.”

At , we urgently call on governments, international actors, and all parties involved in the conflict to take responsibility and work toward an immediate ceasefire. Continued violence is costing innocent lives and deepening the suffering of families.

Our children have a fundamental right to protection, safety, and a future free from fear and violence. It is the responsibility of those with the power to act now before more lives are lost.

No child should grow up learning the sound of bombs before the sound of peace.

I’m honored to have participated in an inspiring conference in Greece, organized by Defence for Children International – Greece and Child Friendly Justice Uuropean Movement. Experts, policymakers, academics, and representatives of the Greek government came together to strengthen systems that put children’s rights, safety, and dignity at the heart of justice.

Above all, our discussions reminded me that love and the quality of relationships that systems build with children in contact with justice are central to trust, and trust is the foundation of genuine protection and justice. When children feel seen, heard, and cared for, justice becomes not only fair, but truly humane.

I leave Greece inspired by the rich exchanges, shared wisdom, and collective commitment to creating safer, more just futures for every child.

تشرفتُ بمشاركتي في المؤتمر المُلهم في اليونان، نظمته منظمة الحركة العالمية للدفاع عن الأطفال الدولية – فرع اليونان والحركة الأوروبية للعدالة الصديقة للطفل.

حضر المؤتمر خبراء وصنّاع سياسات وأكاديميين وممثلين عن الحكومة اليونانية، بهدف تعزيز الأنظمة التي تضع حقوق الأطفال وسلامتهم وكرامتهم في صميم العدالة.

لقد ذكّرَتْني نقاشاتُنا بأن المحبة وجودة العلاقات التي تبنيها الأنظمة مع الأطفال المتعاملين مع منظومة العدالة هي جوهر الثقة، والثقة هي الأساس الحقيقي للحماية والعدالة، فعندما يشعر الطفل بأنه مرئي، مسموعو ومحبوب، تصبح العدالة ليست فقط منصفة، بل إنسانية بحق.

أغادر اليونان وأنا مفعمة بالإلهام من غنى النقاشات، وتبادل الخبرات، والالتزام الجماعي بتأسيس مستقبل أكثر أماناً وعدلاً لكل طفل.