1.1 National commitments

Ratifying and upholding key international conventions signals that a government recognizes sexual violence against children as a serious human rights violation. 

These commitments create binding obligations to prevent abuse, protect survivors, and report on progress, anchoring national action within global standards.

Albania is the only country to ratify all eight global conventions included in the Index. 

Four other countries have ratified seven of them. 

Indicator	What it measures	Why it matters	Score range
1.1 National commitments	Whether the country has ratified key international instruments protecting children and adolescents from sexual violence	Ratification signals political will and creates legal obligations that advocates can hold governments to	0-8

How to interpret your country's score

1.1 National commitments (0–8)

A higher score means stronger governance foundations are in place. A lower score signals gaps in the political architecture needed to protect children and adolescents from sexual violence.

 

0	The country has not ratified any of the eight key international instruments. There is no formal international commitment to protecting children and adolescents from sexual violence.
+1	The country has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
+1	The country has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
+1	The country has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure.
+1	The country has ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
+1	The country has ratified the International Labour Organizations’s Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour No.182.
+1	The country has ratified the UN World Tourism Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics.
+1	The country has ratified the Lanzarote Convention.
+1	The country has ratified the Budapest Convention.

 

 

From indicators to budget lines

Use this as a guide to strengthen your advocacy requests and create targeted ‘asks’ to decision-makers within the right Ministry (for example: Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare, or Finance)

Indicator	What it tracks	Budget-line-to target	Ready-to-use language
1.1 National commitments	Whether the country has ratified key international instruments on child protection	Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Ministry of Justice: treaty ratification (i.e., Convention on the Rights of the Child), reporting, implementation of international obligations	“Allocate resources for the legislative and administrative costs of ratification, domestication, and implementation of outstanding international instruments protecting children from sexual violence, including [name specific convention/protocol].”

How to put a number on your ask

Break your ask into building blocks a Finance Ministry would recognize. Even a rough component-based estimate signals seriousness:

Indicator	Examples of components to estimate
1.1 National commitments	Plan for inter-ministerial coordination; legal reforms for implementation; monitoring and reporting systems; dissemination and education

Advocacy tools

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Email templates

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Third Richest Nation

www.bravemovement.org/campaigns/third-richest-nation

A world without childhood violence would be $7 trillion richer. This nation isn’t real. Its wealth could be. Brave Movement's survivor-led advocacy campaign at the G20 in 2025 pressured decision makers to invest in prevention, healing and justice to create stronger, happier nations.

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www.bravemovement.org/g7

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www.togetherforgirls.org/en/press/a-record-breaking-event-now-governments-must-deliver

We broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ for the most countries represented at a childhood violence summit! With 120 governments attending, this first ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children was the largest organized event to address this issue on a global scale. Most importantly, as a result, we also broke the world’s record of inaction against childhood sexual violence.