LESOTHO: Children dial 800 22 345 for help

JOHANNESBURG, 2 July 2008 (IRIN) - Lesotho's population of orphans and vulnerable children continues to swell on the back of one of the world's worst HIV/AIDS epidemics, but the new initiative provides a glimmer of hope or, at least, someone willing to listen.

"Children are encouraged to talk about their problems without judgment or fear of making things worse. While a child's reason for calling may vary, one factor remains the same: a child is asking to be heard," said Nafisa Binte-Shafique, the Youth and Adolescent Development Specialist at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The government of Lesotho, with support from UNICEF, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Lesotho Telecommunication authorities, opened the lines to the service on 30 April 2008.

"The Child helpline is working effectively, the population is responding well. At the moment the bulk of calls are made by parents and neighbours reporting on child cases, as well as children calling in themselves," said Kananelo Moholi, Child Helpline coordinator at Lesotho Save the Children (SC), the NGO hosting and running the helpline.

Moholi told IRIN that 467 calls had already been dealt with. In 160 cases the caller hung up immediately, and in 279 cases children were seeking information and general counselling.

There were 28 "real cases" of rape, sexual harassment, neglect and emotional and physical abuse, as well as "14 drop-in cases, face-to-face counselling [related to] beatings, abduction and suicide," she added. As a result, the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) had placed three children in the Maseru Children's Village, a place of safety located in the SC Lesotho premises.

The helpline also alerted the DSW to the special schooling needs of a disabled girl, and the case of a child who had recently lost both parents. Two children, found across the border in South Africa, were returned to Lesotho and were being taken care of while their abusive parents remained in custody, Moholi said.

"We are overcoming challenges as we go along, and we hope to scale up our programme and community involvement in our efforts to protect and assist as many children in difficulty as possible," Moholi said.

Call 800 22 345

The toll-free number - 800 22 345 - opens a channel of communication between children and service providers, offering 24-hour counselling, support and protection services, Binte-Shafique told IRIN.

A variety of services are available when a child calls, depending on the nature of the case. The child can be counselled or given relevant information during the call, or a referral will be made to the appropriate organisation, such as the DSW, or medical, psychosocial and legal service providers.

The strength of the helpline lies in its ability to effectively refer cases from any point in the country to the service provider closest to the child, Binte-Shafique said.

The service "places children and their safety as its core principle, providing assistance and linking children in need of care and protection to long-term services and resources. It allows children and young people to express their concerns and talk about issues that affect them."

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