Address by «Child Helpline International» Program Coordinator, Ms. Mabel Wong

Child helplines across the world annually receive 11.3 million calls from children and young people who call when they need crisis intervention, rehabilitation, counselling or just someone to talk to. The reasons why children call are varied, they include abuse, shelter, HIV/ AIDS, relationship problems, exploitation, addiction, suicide, etc. This note highlights the importance of child helplines, outlines the activities of Child Helpline International (CHI) and suggests some avenues of partnership to reach out more effectively to children and young people.

A telephone helpline for children and young people is accessible to them around the clock, free of cost and enables them to contact someone in any emergency situation. It provides children and young people with an opportunity to express their concerns and talk about the issues directly affecting them. A child helpline is founded on the belief that children and young people have rights, and that they can identify their problems.

At present 71 countries have helplines for children and young people. These helplines reach out to children and young people through any means of telecommunications be it a post card, a radio station, the phone or via text messaging and confidential internet chat rooms. They take an active role in responding to children’s calls by providing medical assistance, reuniting missing children with their families, rescuing sexually abused young people and child labourers and even providing long term care to HIV/Aids victims.

To strengthen and develop helplines for children and young people, Child Helpline International (CHI) - a global network of helplines and telephone outreach services, was launched in October 2003 in Amsterdam. It was inaugurated by the Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. To date, CHI works with 81 child helplines in 71 countries. CHI is also assisting 13 countries to start up child helplines. CHI recently held its second international consultation in March 2005 in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands where 96 representatives from child helplines around the world participated. This event gave representatives the opportunity to meet and discuss strategies, helpline models, training and many of the issues regarding child protection and child rights.

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