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A project that promises help to children who are lost, oppressed or hurt.
Childline's four-digit telephone number 'one-zero-nine-eight' is a magic figure for the country's 48 million street-children. Within minutes, volunteers appear to render legal, medical or physical aid. It was the immense success of Childline in Mumbai that led to the replication of the service in 14 other cities across India, including Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Patna and Bhopal. Moves are under way to extend the service to other cities. Any child lost in the city, or in need of shelter or medical assistance, repatriation, protection from abuse or simply emotional support, can avail of the facility. A toll-free 24-hour helpline, Childline was set up through the joint efforts of the central government and nume! rous NGOs and is open to any child or concerned adult. The idea for Childline took root in 1993 and became operational a year later. It originated as a joint experimental project of the Department of Family Welfare and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The Childline India Board has its headquarters in Mumbai. The Board aims to establish a childline network in each city with the help of local NGOs, to monitor and report the development of Childline to the government. In two years, Childline has attended over 10,000 calls and provided assistance to over 3,750 children in Mumbai. Around 300 girls call up Childline's '1098' number every month for care and protection. While most cases reported to the centres are of sexual or physical abuse, others are of mentally or physically challenged girls in need of help. Childline is a collaborative effort between local NGOs, ambulanc! e services, blood banks, various clinics, nursing homes, advocates, police stations and children's shelters. Once a call is received at the child centre, involved collaborative agencies step in and alert an NGO in the area from which the child has called. The NGO then provides all possible help to the children. In Mumbai, trained volunteers who are themselves street children take the calls and make the link to the relevant services. Childline also works towards sensitising its collateral agencies, ie official systems that directly affect the lives of street children -- the police, city municipal corporations and health care systems -- to respond to and develop support interventions for children in difficult situations. As Childline extends nationwide, plans are on the anvil to design an online database. It intends to replicate the model in 158 cities that will involve UNICEF and CRY (Child Relief and You). Childline has p! ut together exhaustive, easy-to-use manuals and guidelines based on its experiences in Mumbai to facilitate this process. Contact: Childline India Foundation
2nd floor, Nana Chowk Municipal School
Frere Bridge, Low Level
Near Grant Station, Mumbai 400 007
Maharshtra, India
Email:
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