Childline 1098 officially launched in Kohima

Our Correspondent KOHIMA, JUNE 23 A 24-hour national toll-free helpline number- 1098, to address issues related to children and children in difficult circumstances was officially launched in the state capital on Tuesday. Childline 1098, an initiative of Childline India Foundation (CIF), is a project of the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development aimed to reach out to children in need of care and protection, and link them to services for long term care and rehabilitation. The larger focus of the helpline is to help children who are abused or put into child labour, differently abled, missing or runaway children etc. “In Nagaland today, the problem faced by the children is very complex and is manifold in nature, be it medical, education, nutrition or trafficking, abandoned children,” says Dellirose M Sakhrie, the secretary to Social Welfare Department Nagaland, who graced the launch of Childline 1098 Kohima as the chief guest. “There are so many cases of child abuse here but nobody comes out for fear that these will mar the reputation of the family or of a particular clan,” the official lamented. She voiced concern that as per reports, the most widespread expression of child abuse is occurring in many households and the victims are those who are brought in as domestic workers (child labour). Referring to trafficking of children as domestic helpers from neighbouring states as well as from interior districts of Nagaland, she said the people can help to control this problem if everyone can say “no” to child labour. “Every child has a right to live a dignified life… Even if you are keeping somebody in your house, please see that you take care of them,” she appealed. With today’s launch of Childline 1098 in Kohima and also the establishment of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) in the recent years, she feels that everyone should make use of the platform and become more sensitive to the issues which the children are facing today. “We should not hesitate to bring such cases to the Childline,” she stressed. While remarking that the state has a system in place already for protection of children, she admitted that intense sensitization programmes need to be carried out as many people, particularly from the rural areas are not aware of available machineries and facilities. The official emphasized that it is the collective responsibility of all the stakeholders, including participation of local bodies and community support. “The present society itself has become very complex. Government alone cannot tackle the situation,” she said. Calling upon all to step forward and contribute towards the cause for distressed and abused children of Nagaland, she expressed hope that the venture of Nagaland Voluntary Health Association of Nagaland (NVHA) in collaboration with CIF will bring a significant change and help the society to uphold the inherent dignity of every child in the state. Senior program coordinator CIF Kolkata, Avik Mitra who gave an overview of Childline said the project is a multi-level partnership incorporating the NGO, government, corporate and civil society. He stated that any child or any concerned adult can call the helpline number to report cases, and the call will be connected to a centralized call centre in Kolkata. The local Childline team will then be notified of the case with the details. While underscoring the need for setting up of a state-level Childline Advisory Board in Nagaland, he appealed for support of stakeholding departments such as the police, judiciary, health, transport, labour etc to make Childline work. Childline nodal director, Subonenba Longkumer highlighted that in the three years’ time that Childline has been launched in Dimapur, over 6000 calls were received and more than 600 cases have already been taken up. He asserted that many people are of the view that there are no problems related to children in Nagaland as they are not sensitive to the prevailing issues. “The few people who decided to pick up the phone and call 1098 have made a huge difference to many lives,” he said. He also said there were many cases of child labour where most of the children are being trafficked from Mon, Tuensang, Longleng and Kiphire districts. “We may not have known whom to approach earlier, but we now have 1098….. One phone call can make a world of difference for a child,” he stated. CHILDLINE 1098 is reportedly operational in 330 cities/districts in the country and with the launch in Kohima, it has a coverage in all the state capitals of the North East.