Let Them Be Children: Defending Innocence and the Right to Safety

Every child is born with a light—fragile, unguarded, and full of wonder. This light is innocence, a sacred part of childhood that allows a young mind to dream freely, explore without fear, and grow in trust. To protect that innocence is not just a moral responsibility; it is a human obligation.

No child should know the weight of abuse. No small hand should tremble in fear, no young heart should be forced to carry pain it cannot name. When we allow harm to come to children—whether through neglect, violence, or exploitation—we do more than wound individuals. We damage the foundation of our shared future.

Childhood is not a place for scars. It is a time for safety, for kindness, for learning what love feels like. Every child has the right to live without fear, to be nurtured, not hurt; to be guided, not broken. And it is the duty of every adult—parent, teacher, neighbor, leader—to protect that right.

To safeguard childhood innocence is to invest in a more compassionate world. It is to declare that tenderness matters, that the smallest among us deserve the greatest protection. Because when we defend a child’s right to be unharmed, we defend the very essence of our humanity.