- Union minister Smriti Irani said the Childline will be handed over to states so that the distress call gets connected to local police stations and the issue is resolved quickly.
- Childline 1098 is a 24-hour-a-day emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance.
- CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) is the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development for setting up, managing, and monitoring the CHILDLINE 1098 service all over the country.
- CHILDLINE aims to reach out to every child in need and ensure their rights and protection.
Union minister Smriti Irani said the Childline will be handed over to states so that the distress call gets connected to local police stations and the issue is resolved quickly. Childline 1098 is a 24-hour-a-day emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance.
CHILDLINE 1098 is a phone number that spells hope for millions of children across India. It is a 24-hour a-day, 365 days a year, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance. It not only responds to the emergency needs of children but also links them to relevant services for their long-term care and rehabilitation. It has, till date, connected to three million children across the nation offering them care and protection.
CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) is the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development for setting up, managing, and monitoring the CHILDLINE 1098 service all over the country. CIF is the sole agency/body responsible for establishing the CHILDLINE service across the country, monitoring service delivery and finance, training, research and documentation, creating awareness, advocacy as well as resource generation for the service.
The nearly 26-year-old Childline is partnered with civil society and the government. Childline India Foundation (CIF) is the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development for setting up, managing, and monitoring the Childline 1098 service all over the country. “The child in distress has the right to get first connected to the police when he or she dials for help,” the Women and Child Development Minister said at the regional symposium on child protection, child safety, and child welfare held under Vatsal Bharat in Bhopal.
Representatives of Child Welfare Committees, members of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Village Child Protection Committee, and Anganwadi workers from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan took part in the symposium. “Be it the JJB or the Child Welfare Committee, many of you have suggested that if the call goes to a non-governmental organization (NGO), in such a crucial situation, it is hard to make a call where a First Information Report should be lodged,” said Irani. “Looking at this concern of yours, Childline across the country would be handed over to states so that the phone call made by a child in distress reaches local police stations and authorities for the immediate redressal of the problem,” she said. Union MoS for Women and Child Development Mahendra Munjapara and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Priyank Kanungo and others were also present.
(With inputs from agencies)
