NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 27, 2017) - Philanthropists, chief executives, United Nations leaders and celebrities will come together to address the hidden epidemic of child sexual abuse at the World Childhood Foundation USA ("Childhood USA") Thank You Gala on October 2, 2017. The gala will be held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, founder of the World Childhood Foundation, and Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Sweden, co-founder of World Childhood Foundation's #EyesWideOpen global awareness initiative, at Cipriani, 25 Broadway.
Four hundred guests are expected to attend, with the goal of raising money to benefit children at risk of abuse and survivors of child sexual abuse primarily in the US but also internationally.
"Every child deserves to have a happy and healthy childhood," said Her Majesty, Queen Silvia of Sweden. "However, more than 200 million children worldwide are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. It is imperative that we invest in programs and initiatives that work to eliminate sexual abuse and violence against children."
During the Gala, Childhood USA will honor leaders who have significantly furthered the cause of children's rights. Honorees include:
- Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General:
- Melinda Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:
- Monika Heimbold, Chair of The Heimbold Foundation and a co-founder of Childhood USA
Childhood USA will also feature one of the new programs/initiatives it supports: Safe Horizon, an organization that assists victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Furthermore, Childhood will highlight its corporate partners, leaders in making child protection one of their core business priorities, and developing innovative solutions to prevent child sexual abuse.
"We need governments, civil society, academia and the private sector to come together to fight violence and child sexual abuse," said Dr. Joanna Rubinstein, President and CEO of World Childhood Foundation USA. "Therefore, I am proud that Childhood brings together all these stakeholders to enable collective action to end child abuse by 2030, using the Sustainable Development Goals framework."
On the morning of October 2, Childhood USA and the Swedish Mission to the United Nations will host a high-level meeting with world leaders at UN Headquarters to discuss strategies to end violence against children.
About World Childhood Foundation (WCF)
WCF envisions a world where all children are free from violence, sexual abuse, and exploitation. Founded in 1999 by H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden, WCF supports the development of solutions to prevent and address violence, defend children's rights, and promote better living conditions for children.
A United Nations accredited NGO, WCF raises awareness about child sexual abuse through programmatic support, global advocacy initiative #EyesWideOpen (co-founded by H.R.H. Princess Madeleine) and high-level meetings with government, academic, civil society, and private sector leaders. In 2016, the WCF served over 73,000 clients -- both directly and indirectly -- in the United States alone and launched the Stewards of Children Prevention Toolkit mobile app (http://www.socapp.org) in partnership with Darkness2Light and Ericsson. Childhood USA is a board member of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Adam Friedman
Adam Friedman Associates
914 419 7384