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p From the first day of its existence the Women’s International Democratic Federation has spoken out for the improvement of the position of 315 children, for their democratic upbringing, security and peaceful future.

p Delegates at the Founding Congress in Paris, while taking the oath of faithfulness to the aims of the Federation stated:

p “...We take this solemn oath to fight so that conditions indispensable to the harmonious and happy development of our children and future generations shall be created...

p “...We take the solemn oath to struggle ceaselessly to assure a lasting peace to the world....”

p In the first postwar years the whole of the Federation’s attention was concentrated on giving aid to children who had suffered from the war. To this end the International Children’s Fund was formed, and a wide-scale international campaign was held under the heading "International Week of Aid to Children Victims of War”. The Federation demanded that governments and the UN should take action to protect children.

p The Federation has always seen the provision of normal living and upbringing conditions for children, and defending them from the threat of a new war as an important political task. The merit of the Federation lies in the fact that it constantly attracts the attention of world opinion to the situation of children, and has often initiated mass campaigns and international conferences in defence of children.

p It was the initiative of the WIDF which led many countries to hold an International Children’s Day on the 1st of June, every year since 1950. The slogans of the first International Children’s Day were: "Butter not Guns!”, "Schools and hospitals, not tanks!" and "Our Children Should Have a Peaceful and Happy Life!”. The International Children’s Day became a 316 day when the progressive forces would unite their voices on the most serious problems of the situation of children.

p The International Conference in Defence of Children, held in Vienna, in April 1952, was a noteworthy milestone in the development of the children’s defence movement. It was attended by outstanding public figures—scientists, teachers, lawyers, clergymen, writers, journalists, members of women’s organisations and simply mothers from 64 countries of the world.

p The Vienna Conference was prepared by the International Preparatory Committee, and national preparatory committees were also formed in many countries. During the preparations for the Conference extensive documentary material about the situation of the world’s children was gathered and summarised.

p The Vienna Conference stressed with new force the need for action in protecting peace for the sake of a happy future for the rising generations, for the direction of resources which were being spent on the arms race into social needs. The Conference demanded that states everywhere make the provision of normal living conditions for children one of their most important tasks.

p The Conference spoke out against the propaganda of racism, violence and war and called upon writers, artists and other men of culture to make their contribution towards educating children and young people in the spirit of peace and friendship between nations.

p In 1955, the Federation held a World Congress of Mothers in Lausanne (Switzerland), which met with great response throughout the world. It was attended by more than 1,000 women delegates from 66 countries. The Congress manifesto 317 called upon the women of all countries to unite for a more active struggle for peace, for the banning of nuclear weapons, for disarmament and for increased house-, hospital- and schoolbuilding. The permanent international committee of mothers was set up, and national committees of mothers were formed in several countries after the Congress. Thus, in Japan, ever since the Lausanne mothers’ meeting, congresses of mothers are held every year, involving thousands of Japanese women.

p Another great move towards protecting children was the October 1966 World Conference for Children which was held in Stockholm at the WIDF’s initiative. This was a broadly-based Conference which examined the problem of childhood in all its aspects. The agenda included such questions as living conditions, necessary for the harmonious development of children, education and upbringing, children’s health, children’s out-of-school activities, children’s activities in the family.

p The world Conference re-stressed the responsibility of governments in giving happiness to children. The Stockholm Conference was particularly beneficial in bringing the plight of Vietnamese children that were suffering under imperialist aggression to the attention of a very broad world public.

p The Federation has initiated and taken part in many regional meetings devoted to the rising generation. Among these one can number: a World Women’s Forum on the Education of Youth in a Spirit of International Friendship and Understanding, held jointly with the Liaison Bureau of the Copenhagen Meeting of Women in Brussels, in 1962; a seminar for African 318 women’s organisations on mother and child protection in Bamako, Mali, in 1965, held jointly with the All-African Women’s Conference and attended by specialists from the USSR, France, Guinea, Senegal and Mali; and a seminar for Latin American women’s organisations on the protection of children’s rights in Mexico, in 1968.

p As in its work on women’s rights, the Federation made full use of its consultative status as a non-government organisation at ECOSOC and UNESCO to bring up the question of the living conditions, education and upbringing of children and young people at the UN.

p The Federation joined the progressive public in striving for the adoption of the Declaration of Children’s Rights, an important international document which was signed by the UN in 1959. It declares the right of every child to conditions conducive to physical and mental development, to social security, suitable nourishment and housing, to medical service and education.

p The Federation, along with national organisations and through its publications, followed the adoption of the Declaration by extensively publicising its stated principles. Together with the national organisations the Federation held study meetings on the implementation of the Declaration throughout the world in connection with the 5th and 10th anniversaries of the Declaration. The information gathered in the course of these meetings was made available to a wide public.

The Federation has done great work through its international campaigns in favour of aid for the children of Vietnam and the Arab countries who have suffered at the hands of 319 imperialist aggression. While calling upon the women of different countries to aid child-victims of aggression, the Federation helps them to understand the essence of events in Indochina and the Middle East, and to consciously take part in the struggle for the right of every nation to independence, for international security and peace throughout the world.