Child helplines provide children with their fundamental right to be heard, as utlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC), and also play a key role in shaping, strengthening and filling in the gaps of existing national child protection systems. Often, child helplines are a young person’s first point of contact with child protection services and the most trusted and
accessible gateway for them to find help. Child helplines use a variety of methods to ensure that children can access help and find someone to talk to at all times. These methods include telephone services, mobile phone text messaging, online via email, chat and forums, drop boxes in schools, post, caravans, radio and more. Child helpline counselors actively listen to children who wish to express their concerns and also link those children to resources and emergency assistance when needed. Child helplines focus on children’s rights, including the right to be heard and the right to participation. Often, child helplines are a young persons’ first point of contact with child protection services and the most trusted and accessible gateway for them to find much needed further support. Child helplines are in the unique position of being privy to children’s true voices, as they themselves choose to express them. Realizing the potential of this wealth of information, Child Helpline International (CHI) collects data from all of its member child helplines worldwide on the numbers and nature of contacts they receive. CHI uses this data to advocate globally for children and their rights, as set down in the UN CRC, and to help pave the way to consolidating and strengthening national child protection systems.
