It’s hard to sleep when the streetlight’s shining into your bedroom through a chink in the curtain, or when the temperature’s just a touch on the cold side but you can’t be bothered to get out of your nice cosy bed and crank the heating up.

Imagine, for a moment, that the streetlight isn’t shining through the curtain but directly on your face. You’re cold because you have no duvet and are instead huddled beneath thin sheets of newspaper. And your ‘bed’ is a bench or – worse than that – the hard ground. Oh – and did I mention that you’re five years old and all alone?

Around the world there are countless children who call the streets their home. The International Day for Street Children is celebrated every year on April 12^th (that’s today, by the way). It provides a platform for millions of street children around the world – and their champions – to speak out so that their rights cannot be ignored.

However, the day is currently not owned by any one organisation. Which is why this year the Consortium for Street Children – the leading international network dedicated to realising the rights of street children worldwide – is calling for the United Nations to adopt and recognise the day as UN day. When the United Nations adopts a day it gives the issue greater global exposure and increases pressure on governments to act.

To show your support for street children please sign this petition or alternatively text STREET and your name to 62233 (UK only, standard network rates apply.) You can also visit the website and download pictures to put up on your social media networks for the day.

Help a street child today – because if fate had played its cards differently it could just as easily have been you.