Speak up for children

My heart goes out to the children who are caught up in our adult problems: migrant children separated from families and abused at the southern border; Palestinian children in Israeli jails and in the March of Return, Nigerian girls kidnapped from their schools; Yemeni and Syrian children starving and dying from blockades and airstrikes; and American children at Sandy Hook and Parkland, to name a few recent massacres in our country.

Of course, with the present administration, more American children may go without food and health care, as budget cuts are being proposed. The numbers of children caught up in gun violence and conflicts are staggering, but they are not just numbers, they are people: little ones, cute, little babies, toddlers, school-age children and adolescents. We need to see and hear more of the plight of these children on our screens, which should spur more social action.

Sixteen-year-old Swede, Greta Thunberg has it right: the adults are failing us. Let’s sort out our differences without violence and bloodshed, and demonstrate love, care and compassion for the vulnerable children that need protection. Let’s speak up for the voiceless. Save the Children is not just an organization, it should be our slogan.

Nancy Street

Cheney