The Swiss city of Geneva has bestowed a posthumous honour on an inspirational British social reformer whose campaigning has helped transform the lives of millions of children in the past 100 years.

The remains of Shropshire-born Eglantyne Jebb, co-founder of the international aid charity Save the Children, were moved from their previous resting place in the city’s largest cemetery and reburied 1.5 miles away in a graveyard exclusively reserved for VIPs who have played a significant role in Geneva’s history.

Eglantyne is one of the people commemorated in The Church of England lectionary, her day being 17th December. Her Christian faith was the motivating energy in all her campaigning work and compassion for the marginalised, especially children.

Her family said this is a fitting recognition of their ancestor’s enduring legacy as a forthright and influential champion of children’s rights. This year marks the centenary of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a ground-breaking document drafted by Eglantyne Jebb and adopted by the League of Nations in 1924, five years after she launched Save the Children with her younger sister, Dorothy Buxton.

The five-point charter set a benchmark for the health, welfare and education for children and their protection from violence, abuse and exploitation. In 1989 it was enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a legally-binding international treaty supported by almost every country in the world.

Born in 1876 into a family with a strong social conscience, Eglantyne grew up as one of five siblings in a country house at Ellesmere, Shropshire.

After setting up Save the Children in 1919 to help feed children left starving in Germany and Austria at the end of the 1st World War, she went on to establish the charity’s international headquarters in Geneva.

This led to her involvement with the newly-formed League of Nations, based in the city, where she died following a stroke in 1928, aged 52.

There was a service of Choral Evensong in commemoration of Eglantyne Jebb, and the centenary of the Charter for the Rights of the Child on Tuesday 6 February at Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
Members of the Jebb and Buxton families attended a private service of committal at the new graveside in La Cimitiere des Rois, led by Canon Daphne Green, the Anglican Chaplain in Geneva and the Rev James Buxton, Eglantyne’s great nephew. This was followed by a formal civic ceremony.

Gwen Hines, Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children UK said: “The international community will be forever grateful for the pioneering work and commitment of Eglantyne Jebb to transform the lives of millions of children across the globe.

“Her lifelong dedication to campaign and advocate for children’s rights and end the cycle of poverty is the reason that Save the Children exists today. Eglantyne’s memory and contribution lives on – over 100 years later Save the Children is working in over 100 countries to make sure child rights are protected and ensure all children are safe, healthy and learning.

“This posthumous honour granted by the city of Geneva is a fitting tribute for the legacy and impact of one incredible woman in her fight for social justice, and we will continue to honour her life’s work by helping every child get the future they deserve.”