Ciaran Fitzgerald, former captain and head coach of the Irish rugby team, spoke in support of ChildFund’s Free from Violence and Exploitation campaign, designed to persuade the UN to prioritise child protection in its new set of development goals being drawn up for 2015 and beyond.

Ciaran tells us: “I want people to sign the ChildFund online petition so politicians, here in Ireland and abroad, have to take notice. They can’t ignore it if we get enough signatures. And if we get the idea of child protection included in these new development goals, there could be a whole new generation growing up without the violence and exploitation so many kids are exposed to today.”

Add your voice: Sign the petition now.