114.143.103.114 at 04:07, 24 March 2022

2022-03-24T04:07:24Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
'''CHILDLINE 1098''' is a service of [[Ministry of Women and Child Development]].<ref name="Childline Reference1">{{cite news |title=Police personnel will now answer Childline 1098 calls |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/police-personnel-will-now-answer-childline-1098-calls/article34078524.ece |access-date=7 April 2021 |publisher=The Hindu |date=16 March 2021 |language=en-IN}}</ref> '''Childline India''' Foundation is a [[non-government organisation]] (NGO) in [[India]] that operates a telephone [[helpline]] called Childline, for [[Children in India|children]] in distress. It was [[India]]'s first '''24-hour, [[Toll-free telephone number|toll free]], phone outreach service''' for children.<ref name="hin">{{cite news|title = Labour Ministry Government of India|url = http://labour.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Divisions/childlabour/Census-2001%262011.pdf|work = Labour Ministry|date = 21 May 2015|accessdate = 20 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080857/http://labour.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Divisions/childlabour/Census-2001%262011.pdf|archive-date = 4 March 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref> Childline 1098 service is available all over [[India]]. It is available in 602+ districts, 144+ [[railway stations]] and 11 bus terminals have Child Help Desks.

==About==
CHILDLINE works for the protection of rights of all children aged from 0 to 18. It is an initiative for rescuing and assisting children in distress.<ref name="Childline Reference1" /> Their particular focus is on all children in need of care and protection, especially the more vulnerable sections, including:<ref name="Childline Reference4">{{cite news |last1=Pinglay |first1=Prachi |title=All about Childline 1098: How it helps children in distress |url=https://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/bengaluru-child-helpline-1098-explainer-operations-data-child-labour-begging-rehabilitation-41975 |access-date=7 April 2021 |publisher=Citizen Matters, Bengaluru |date=28 January 2020}}</ref>
* Victims of child sexual abuse.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />
* Street children and youth living alone on the streets.
* Child labourers are working in unorganised and organised sectors.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />
* Domestic help, especially girl domestics.
* Children affected by physical / sexual / emotional abuse in family, schools or institutions.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />
* Children who need emotional support and guidance.
* Children of commercial sex workers.
* Child victims of the flesh trade.
* Victims of child trafficking.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />
* Children abandoned by parents or guardians.
* Missing children.
* Run away children.
* Children who are victims of substance abuse.
* Differently-abled children.
* Children in conflict with the law.
* Children in institutions.
* Mentally challenged children.
* [[HIV]]/ [[AIDS]] infected children.
* Children affected by conflict and disaster.
* Child political refugees.
* Children whose families are in crisis.

It also helps children who are in need of care and protection. '''Childline number is toll-free - 1098'''<ref name="Childline Reference1" /> is accessible all over India, and the caller can remain anonymous.<ref name="Childline Reference4" /> Childline receives an average a million calls a month, and CHILDLINE rescues about 400,00 children annually. As per [[2001 census of India|2011 census of India]] has over 4.35 million working children between of ages of five to 14 years.<ref name=hin/> Childline's role is limited to addressing calls, ensuring action including rescue, and presenting the child before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), a quasi-judicial body, as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, as rehabilitation is a complex and often unresolved issue in case of children who need further care and protection.<ref name="Childline Reference4" /> After a distressed child is rescued – either from the streets or from any form of employment or confinement – the rescue team of social workers checks if he or she needs medical attention like food or cleanup and provides these and later presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), composed of a chairperson and four members who are usually experts working in the area of child rights and the committee decides the future course for the rescued child like if the child has to be sent to a shelter home. For how long and if the child's parents or guardians are located, he would be sent back to his hometown and in addition the CWC can also order for counselling and rehabilitation of the child.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />

== History ==
Childline was first established as an experimental project in June 1996, by [[Jeroo Billimoria]], a professor at the [[Tata Institute of Social Sciences]], [[Mumbai]], at the department of Family and Child Welfare.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |URL=http://www.childlineindia.org.in/1098/history.htm |date= |publisher=Childline |accessdate=9 May 2013}}</ref> Subsequently, the Government of India established the Childline across [[India]] in 1998–99,<ref name="Childline Reference4" /> under [[Ministry of Women and Child Development]], as an umbrella organisation to support and monitor services across [[India]], while also serving as link between the ministry and various [[NGO]]s working the field and in year 2021 brought under administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.<ref name="Childline Reference1" /> The move means that police personnel instead of social workers will handle the calls made to 1098.<ref name="Childline Reference1" /> The action will also help in preserving data sensitivity.<ref name="Childline Reference1" /> The Secretary of the Ministry functions as the chairperson of the Governing Board of the Foundation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Childline Service |url=http://wcd.nic.in/childlineservice.htm |publisher=Ministry of Women and Child Development |accessdate=8 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517151210/http://wcd.nic.in/childlineservice.htm |archivedate=17 May 2013 }}</ref>

In April 2013, a Childline Advisory Board in the [[West Garo Hills district]] of [[Meghalaya]] state became part of a joint programme by [[The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment]] and Child Line India.<ref>{{cite news |title=Childline Advisory Board formed for Garo Hills' |url=http://www.morungexpress.com/regional/94474.html |publisher=[[The Morung Express]] |date=25 Apr 2013 |accessdate=8 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130629215314/http://www.morungexpress.com/regional/94474.html |archivedate=29 June 2013 }}</ref> In May 2013, [[Ahmedabad]] Childline rescued 16 children aged between 14 and 17 years working various parts of the city.<ref>{{cite news |title=16 children rescued from city eateries |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/ahmedabad/1830204/report-16-children-rescued-from-city-eateries |publisher=DNA India |date=3 May 2013 |accessdate=8 May 2013}}</ref>

Childline India Helpline between Apr 2020-Mar 2021 answered 50 lakh calls and rescued or assisted 3.95 Lakh children in distress across the country including over 1 lakh children were provided COVID-19 related assistance.

In October 2020, Foundation had partnered with [[Uber]] to provide 30,000 free rides to their child care professionals as a support for reaching and attending to children in distress across country.<ref name="Childline Reference2">{{cite news |title=CHILDLINE 1098 partners with Uber to provide free rides to child care profession |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/childline-1098-partners-with-uber-to-provide-free-rides-to-child-care-profession-11602687065054.html |access-date=7 April 2021 |publisher=Mint |date=14 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The association worth over ₹63 lakh covers for the period from October'20 to December'20 and will extend across all 83 [[India]]n cities where [[Uber]] is operational.<ref name="Childline Reference2" /> The service also includes transport services to CHILDLINE 1098 personnel in [[Delhi]], [[Mumbai]], [[Kolkata]], [[Bengaluru]] and [[Chennai]], where its contact centres operate.<ref name="Childline Reference2" />

The helpline is oldest for children in [[India]]. Also in [[Karnatka]] it is part of RTE (Right to Education) Rules. It is mandatory for every school and educational institute to display the Childline number prominently on its campus. Apart from creating awareness, the helpline also sends a message that anyone can call the number in case of any grievances.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />

The Childline Helpline covers 598 districts in [[India]] and receives around 20% of global children's calls on helplines.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />

==Operations==
Its head office is on the 11th floor of the Ratan Central Building in Dr. Ambedkar Road, [[Parel]], [[Mumbai]]. In addition to [[Mumbai]] it also has regional offices in [[New Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], and [[Chennai]] and [[Bengaluru]] where all calls to 1098 are received 24*7 and later relevant calls are transferred to the collaborative/support NGO of the respective city and in case of need local police of city is informed<ref name="Childline Reference4" />.<ref>"[http://www.childlineindia.org.in/contactus.htm Contact Us]." Childline India. Retrieved on 21 February 2017. "CHILDLINE India Foundation 406, Sumer Kendra, 4th floor, P. B. Marg, Worli, Mumbai 400 018, Maharashtra"</ref> The support [[NGO]]'s are local organisations working in the field of child rights and capable of immediate reach out for rescuing, rehabilitating and counselling children once they get a call from any of the five Child contact centres and also initiate a necessary action plan for fact-finding and intervention and for rescue operation if needed and they also tie up with various government departments including women and child welfare, labour, and the police for requisite support.<ref name="Childline Reference4" /> BOSCO (Bengaluru Oniyavara Seva Coota), APSA (Association for Promoting Social Action) and Sathi are the three organisations that work as support NGO's in [[Bengaluru]] and CRT is the nodal agency for Childline in the city which serves as the point of contact for the support [[NGOs]] and government departments.<ref name="Childline Reference4" /> APSA once getting a distressed call which are currently mostly pertaining to begging, RTE violations (such as children not getting admission in private schools), and child labour does an in-depth fact-finding study on the field and also collaborates with government departments in case rescue is needed and also provides other support services like medical and psychological counselling to the rescued children in relevant cases.<ref name="Childline Reference4" /> Calling the Childline helps in call getting recorded and officially documented and secondly, the national network of 1098 can be activated immediately if required especially in cases of trafficking for providing immediate support.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />

==Railway Stations Initiative==

CHILDLINE Foundation had also set up 144 Child Help Desks in major [[railway stations]] across [[India]] till 2021 as separate railway initiative was felt given the number of children who run away or go missing or are trafficked for child labour and other reasons from these places and people can immediately and directly approach these help desks.<ref name="Childline Reference4" /> In [[Bengaluru]], the support [[NGO]] Sathi works exclusively in railway station premises and has an office at [[Yeswanthpur|Yeshwantpur railway station]]. The station is mainly connected to different parts of India. The [[NGO]] rescues around 30 to 40 children every month and 70 per cent among them are aged between 14 and 16 years as many of them had either run away from homes or sometimes they are brought by contractors for child labour and once tracked the organisation rescues them and sends them to their native places after counselling.<ref name="Childline Reference4" />

==See also==
* [[Child labour in India]]
* [[Child Helpline International]]

==Reference==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.childlineindia.org/}}

{{Non-government Organizations in India}}
[[Category:1996 establishments in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Crisis hotlines]]
[[Category:Children's charities based in India]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1996]]
[[Category:Indian children]]

Childline India - Revision history

114.143.103.114 at 04:07, 24 March 2022