by Juliette Terzieff
USA

• Waitress in Southern California.
Photograph by Derek E. Baird •

by Juliette Terzieff
USA

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School children in Rajasthan.
Photograph by Sarah McGowan

By Juliette Terzieff
USA

In response to widespread, persistent violence against the world’s children, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund

Photograph by Sarah McGowan

“The best way to deal with violence against children is to stop it before it occurs. Parliamentarians can and should be among the foremost champions of children protection,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Toshi Nawa said upon the handbook’s release at the IPU’s 116th assembly in Indonesia. Delegates from 126 countries were in attendance.

“Governments and parliaments must build a protective environment that allows children to live without the threat of abuse and exploitation,” Nawa insisted.

by Juliette Terzieff
USA

Petur spent much of his childhood scrambling on the streets of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, begging and doing odd jobs to afford the basic necessities. The 21-year old no longer worries about finding a place to sleep for the night, but lives in fear that his infant son may someday find himself in the same position.

“Things have not improved very much for me,” says Petur, who doesn’t want his full name used. “I have a job, sure, but the salary isn’t all that much more than I made as a child begging.”

“We could easily be on the street again,” Petur laments. “The only security we have is that every adult in our family is working age, so if one loses a job, somehow the others can pitch in until a new one comes along.”

Petur works from before sunrise until late afternoon at a small bakery, earning 200 Bulgarian Lev (about $140) a month, and returns home every evening to a 2-bedroom apartment that he, his wife, and 11-month old son share with 7 other extended family members. Petur has managed to build a life for himself against the odds, and credits the help of Sofia’s dilapidated children’s shelters for helping him through the worst days.

“When I lived on the street, most people just ignored me—only at the shelters was I able to find people who would not only feed me, but encourage me to keep trying. I was lucky,” he recalls.