“My Day, My Rights” Whitecember March Celebrates World Human Rights

Port Moresby, 10 December 2025 — Papua New Guinea marked Human Rights Day with the Whitecember Walk in the National Capital District and the parliamentary “My Rights, My Day” event organised by the Special Parliamentary Committee on Children and Youth (SPC-CY) to reflect on important gains and confront urgent, unfinished business in protecting and supporting its children.

Child Protection

Under the Lukautim Pikinini Act, momentum is building. Multiple Provincial Councils for Child and Family Services have been reactivated or newly established, restoring essential protection structures beyond Port Moresby. These steps are critical for reaching the thousands of children who remain vulnerable to violence, abuse, and neglect.

Early Childhood Education (ECE)

New national investments and the completion of the ECE package signal strong Government commitment to giving every child a fair start. Alongside ongoing improvements in school readiness and learning environments, these reforms aim to expand access to quality early learning — essential for breaking cycles of disadvantage.

Birth Registration & Legal Identity

Legal identity remains the foundation for accessing education, protection, and essential services. While national birth-registration rates remain low, joint Government-partner efforts are intensifying to expand access to remote and rural areas. Continued scale-up is vital to prevent exclusion and safeguard children’s rights.

Health & Nutrition

PNG’s child health and nutrition challenges remain significant, but the Government has demonstrated important leadership in strengthening systems and investing in children’s wellbeing.
The 2026 health budget reflects a 16% increase, including 26 million Kina dedicated to routine vaccines — a 73% rise, underscoring a strong commitment to immunisation. More than 2 million children under age 10 have been vaccinated against polio, reflecting effective collaboration between Government and partners.
Despite these gains, under-immunisation and high malnutrition rates continue to place children at risk. The positive momentum must be matched with accelerated nationwide coverage of quality immunisation, nutrition, and primary health-care services — especially in hard-to-reach communities.

WASH and Climate Resilience

Meaningful progress has been made: by 2023, an estimated 53% of the population accessed improved drinking-water sources, and major upgrades have been completed in over 1,000 schools and 61 health facilities.
However, major gaps persist, particularly in rural areas where safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services remain limited. Coupled with increasing climate pressures and disaster risks, this underscores the need for urgent, child-centred WASH investments and stronger resilience planning.

Why This Matters — and Why Action Cannot Wait

Children in PNG remain among the most vulnerable in the Pacific. High rates of violence, malnutrition, limited WASH access, under-immunisation, and lack of legal identity threaten their survival, wellbeing, and future opportunities.

The Whitecember Walk and “My Rights, My Day” are more than symbolic — they are a call to action. They urge Government, provincial leaders, civil society, international partners, and communities to accelerate progress. Every data point represents a child; every gap in services puts a child at risk.

A Call to Action

• Scale up child-protection services by fully activating and resourcing Child and Family Services Councils and frontline response teams nationwide.
• Expand early childhood education through investment in ECE infrastructure, trained teachers, and inclusive learning environments.
• Ensure universal birth registration, reaching every community with accessible civil-registration services.
• Prioritise child health and nutrition, accelerating immunisation, nutrition programmes, and primary health-care outreach.
• Strengthen WASH and climate-resilient infrastructure, ensuring safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for every school, clinic, and community.

On Human Rights Day and every day, PNG must turn commitments into action to ensure every child grows up safe, healthy, and empowered. The country’s future depends on it.