Poverty is a fundamental barrier to realizing the rights of all children, including targets of the Sustainable Development Goals to end preventable child deaths, ensure quality basic education for all children and protect children from all forms of violence. Social protection is a basic human right for children, enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children have the right to social security and an adequate standard of living, both of which can be guaranteed for children and families who live in poverty through publicly-funded social protection. At the same time, social protection is a key investment in building human capabilities, reducing financial barriers that families face in using basic services, and in breaking inter-generational poverty traps.