Enhancing Child Protection: 9 States and UTs Collaborate to Establish Merged Child Helpline

The “One Nation, One Helpline” policy of the Ministry of Women and Child Development called for the combination of the Child line hotline (1098), which had already been announced, with the Women’s Helpline and the Emergency Response Support System (112).

By the end of the month, the combined child helpline will be operating in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Puducherry, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Mizoram, Gujarat, and Bihar for the first time in the nation.

According to ministry insiders, the nine states and UTs are only the first phase of the initiative; 12 more will be up and running by the end of next month.

In accordance with section 2(25) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015, Childline Services is a 24-hour emergency outreach program that connects children in need to immediate or long-term care and rehabilitation services. To assist street children in need, Childline India Foundation established the nation’s first toll-free tele-helpline number in 1996.

By calling a four-digit toll-free number (1098), any child in need of assistance or an adult acting on their behalf may contact the program.

1,500 NGOs would be used by Childline to operate around the nation. Through Childline India Foundation (CIF) and its affiliated NGOs, the WCD Ministry supported this round-the-clock service as part of the former Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme.

The’mother NGO’ in charge of this service was Childline India Foundation (CIF). In 568 districts, 135 railway stations, and 11 bus stops, the CIF operated the service.

According to ministry officials, the system has lost its effectiveness in recent years. Even in cases requiring rapid rescue, the CIF’s average reaction time to a distress call was 60 minutes, according to the report. The integrated hotline was introduced to speed up response times and improve system efficiency.