The security and lives of many hundreds of millions of children all over the world are adversely affected by war, violence, neglect, exploitation, racism, abuse and discrimination.

Many children suffer disabilities and injuries caused by armed conflict, and are driven from their home and country as refugees.

The trafficking, abduction, smuggling, physical, sexual and economic exploitation of children have debilitating effects on their physical and mental development. To add to this, domestic and sexual violence continue to be a daily occurrence in the lives of many children and their mothers.

To find out more about how STARS supports the work of organisations that focus on the protection of children, please refer to the profile of our 2007 Protection Award recipient.