Child Helpline International is a global network of 173 child

helpline A helpline, or switchboard, is a telephone service which offers help to those who call. Many helpline services now offer more than telephone support - offering access to information, advice or customer service via telephone, email, web or SMS. ...

s in 142 countries (as of December 2019).

History

In 1989, Child Helpline International founder Jeroo Billimoria explored the idea of creating a

global network A global network is any communication network that spans the entire Earth. The term, as used in this article, refers in a more restricted way to ''bidirectional'' communication networks based on technology. Early networks such as internationa ...

of child helplines, which could provide technical assistance to each other, and in countries who wanted to start or expand their own helplines. This led to a meeting, held in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in 2003, and attended by representatives from 49 child helplines from around the globe. At this meeting, Child Helpline International was launched.

Principle and Mission

The work of Child Helpline International is firmly grounded in the principle of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which highlights the

children's rights Children's rights or the rights of children are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors.

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

and protection from harm. The stated mission of the Child Helpline International network is to provide a forum for information sharing and mutual support, assistance with

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

and lobbying, promoting the rights of children and child helplines as a medium of assistance to children, and to support the initiation and development of child helplines in countries which do not have such services.

Operations

Child Helpline International is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Executive Director of Child Helpline International is Patrick Krens. Child Helpline International is a membership-based organization with 173 members in 142 countries and territories around the world (as at December 2018). In 2015, the child helplines who are members of Child Helpline International had received over 20 million contacts from children and young people in need for care and protection.

Knowledge Exchange Platform

A key role of the network is to provide platform for

knowledge transfer Knowledge transfer refers to transferring an awareness of facts or practical skills from one entity to another.Kjell Arne Røvik (2016). "Knowledge Transfer as Translation: Review and Elements of an Instrumental Theory." ''International Journa ...

s between the members. Types of knowledge exchange activities are: # Peer Exchanges: Members of the network learn from one another through visits, sharing solutions, comparing expertise and experiences. # Peer Evaluations: Member organizations compare and evaluate good practices, governance and operations of their own child helplines with other members. # Trainings and Workshops: Member organizations learn from trainings and workshops to make sure that each child helpline stay abreast of changing times and needs and possess the up-to-date skills # International and Regional Consultations: International and Regional Consultations are biennial events held in alternating years in which the members, partners, and stakeholders come together to find common ground, report and reflect on collective experiences from the existing child helplines.

References

External links

* * Child Helpline International Annual Report 201

{{Authority control Child abuse-related organizations Child welfare Children's rights organizations Crisis hotlines International non-profit organizations International organisations based in the Netherlands Youth rights organizations