Helpline to curb child trafficking
Services are available in 282 locations and will expand to 343
By : nishtha grover
Update: 2014-10-18 03:30 GMT
New Delhi: In order to curb child trafficking and abuse, the Childline, a helpline service, will be expanded across the country. The women and child development ministry has worked out a detailed plan to increase the number of centres dedicated to the helpline.
According to sources, in the last year more than 38 lakh calls were made to 1098. Childline is an emergency outreach service for children in need of care and protection.
Currently, the services are available in 282 locations and the ministry has decided to expand it to 343 locations by the end of the financial year 2014-15.
As of now, the helpline is headquartered in Mumbai, from where the call centre also operates. Expansion of Childline services is being planned by establishing three other centralised call centres in Chennai, Kolkata and Gurgaon.
“More than 26 per cent calls were for protection from child abuse, 13 per cent for help with shelter, and we also get calls for emotional support and medical assistance,” said a senior ministry official.
Calls made to 1098 also include help required for restoration of children and to report missing children. The ministry has come up with an integrated system called track-child.