A billboard-sized sign along the road from Udaipur through the Aravalli Mountains shows two scenes — one is of a burly man with a bandana around his neck reaching out from behind a tree to grab a young girl’s shoulder. She looks away as if to run in the opposite direction. In the other scene, looming shadows of hands grasp for a girl clutching a stuffed bear. The headline in Hindi reads: “BT cotton has destroyed the childhood of children.” Below is the familiar logo of ChildFund India, which is campaigning against child labor in this region.

In a study of the views of children on the issues of violence and exploitation, ChildFund Alliance conducted over 50 focus groups in 41 countries so that their voices can be heard as part of the post 2015-agenda. The children cited the top three things they want world leaders to do – raise awareness of the issues, enact laws and punish offenders – as well as give examples of the worst forms of violence and exploitation.

Childfund Alliance’s advocacy paper on post-2015 targets and indicators on violence and exploitation against children.

In formulating the post-2015 development agenda, it is imperative that the voices of the next generation are heard and listened to. ChildFund Alliance asked child-led organizations from seven countries to choose their top 6 priorities for a better world.