Child Helpline 1098 has been launched for the protection of children with the support of UNICEF under the Department of Social Services , Ministry of Social Welfare in nationwide .
If any child in any part of the country is subjected to any kind of violence, torture and exploitation, the child himself or any other person can call to Child helpline-1098 for seek help which is offers free and confidential telephone and emergency response/outreach services. In this way your redressed will be easier.
Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare launched the program of 'Child help line 1098' across the country on an experimental basis from last December 2015 with the financial and technical support of UNICEF in order to ensure child rights and social facilities of children according to the Child Act 2013. Later, the Hon'ble Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina announced the auspicious launch of 'Child help line 1098' nationwide on 27th October 2016 through a video conference from Ganabhaban. Toll free short code 'Child helpline-1098' to collect and store information related to child rights violations like child marriage, child labour, child abuse, child trafficking etc. round the clock (24X7) to ensure child rights and social amenities of children. Providing essential services. A Centralized Call Center (CCC) of Child Helpline has been set up on the 8th floor of the Department of Social Services at Agargaon, Dhaka. The Call Center operates 24 hours a day including public and weekend holidays.
What is 1098 helpline?
It is a system or service, which extends a helping hand by protecting all types of privacy to protect the child from all influences or pressures. People get help from 1098 helpline only through any phone. You can call 1098 helpline from any part of the country within 24 hours.
Why is 1098 helpline needed?
Many times children or adults do not share their problems or need of protection with their friends or family. For example, teenagers are afraid to tell anyone if they are victims of eve teasing. Everyone thinks that no one else will understand their problems, or that everyone around them will treat them differently if they talk about their problems. In some cases we don't want to share even very sensitive things with our close people. Many times children are unable to express themselves or have no clear idea of how to express themselves. In such situations, helpline can be remedied.
What does the 1098 helpline help with?
o 1098 helpline helps to prevent child abuse, child trafficking, child marriage and provide legal services to children;
o Child helpline-1098 provides telephonic counseling services apart from child emergency services/rescue of children from dangerous situations;
o Help children connect with existing social protection in the community through safe shelter, rehabilitation and network coverage.
How does Child Helpline-1098 help?
o When someone seeks help from the 1098 helpline, a social worker first introduces them.
o Then according to the helpline's rules, call agent asked the name of the help-seeker and the type of help sought .
o If the caller seeks any child related aid, he/she is provided with aid as per his/her needs. In this case, the call continues until the help seeker finishes his/her speaking.
o The social worker can ask about the name, age and residence of a help-seeker, if someone does not want to disclose his/her name, identity, or is unwilling to reveal it, the 1098 helpline helps to keep it confidential.
o 1098 helpline information of the help-seeker will be kept confidential; it is also made clear in this regard.
o Check the type of assistance required by the aid seeker (for the child) and request the appropriate local authorities (District Administrator, Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Police, Probation Officer) to take urgent action.
o At the same time, the social worker tries to ensure the necessary services of the child by constantly following up with all concerned to ensure the safety of the child.
Achievement of Child Helpline-1098
(December 2015 to June 2022)
o Received 783845 calls
o Remedied 9872 nos of child abuse cases
o Solve 8347 nos of family related problems
o Responded 11213 nos of child’s, homeless and destitute/missing children for safe accommodation or re-integrate in families.
o Provided Legal aid to 20138 children
o Providing health information and counseling to 53453 children
o Assistance to 19217 children in schooling, through communication with school teachers, managing committee and parents
o 668 Refer to counseling and treatment centers about drug and other drug use and harm
o Stopped child marriage of 2997 children
Case Study 1: Ensuring the legal rights of four children
Child Samia (12), Mariam (10), Jharna (9) and Ati (11) live with their families. Their parents are very poor. Someone drives rickshaws, somebody or day laborer. Mothers work at home of others. On November 2, 2016, the helpline phone call states that they are victims of sexual abuse. The torturer's name is Cesan. Approximate age 42 years The area has its hotel business and garage.
According to the fact, the rape victim was slapped with slap and arranged arbitration locally. Parents are not satisfied with the trial, they seek help from the child helpline. They want to address the matter legally.
When the helpline approached the Officer of the City Social Welfare Office of Dhaka immediately, he told the police station and assured that he would give the information to the police station. Later, call conference with caller OC of the police station was organized. The next day sexual harassment case was with the help of the police station OC. With the helpline's regular contact, police could arrest the abusive snake at 9 pm on that day.
The victim's child, Samaria's father, on the helpline, told that, due to financial inability she could not handle the case. So he seeks help in recruiting lawyers. To help resolve the issue quickly, the helpline was first contacted by the UCD 5 Social Services Officer.
Then the caller was informed about the whole thing by organizing a conference with the chairman of the Law Center for Human Rights, and sought help to handle the case. He agreed to provide assistance in managing the case and on that day he appeared in the court.
On that day, it was known that the case was categorised as sexual harassment. He talked to the SI and asked for detailed information. In the evening, the father of the child Samia said that the court granted the two-day remand of the accused. Information about the children is taken separately from magistrates' rooms. On the fourth day of the case, the child Samayya Babasaheb was called to the police station and after receiving detailed information, the charge sheet was submitted to the court.
After the long legal process in this case, the tortured person was sentenced to six months in jail. Children are now living in fearlessly and going to school regularly. The children's guardians have been assured that the helpline of the helpline and the culprit for the execution of the convicts is assured and the helpline is thanked.
Case Study 2: FROM THE RAILWAY TO THE NEST
The local people, with the help of police, handed the child to a nearby family after seeing a seven-month-old child near Comilla railway station. The child's face was stained and disabled and could not make a foot. When the local police officer informs the probation officer of Comilla District about the child, he first searches for his child's family. Without getting the family, he sent the child to the small residence of Dhaka through the court for long-term protection or shelter for the child.
But sadly, there is no arrangement for separate children for disabled children in small-time residences. So the authority again sent the child back to Comilla's entering officer and the child was handed over for rearing in the previous family (after the loss, where the child was sheltered). In addition, the probation officer continued to cooperate with various government and non-government organizations for safe shelter of the child. However, everybody expressed their inability to accept the child.
Meanwhile, it is known that the child who is temporarily in the family started using it for begging. The serving officer in charge of the child's safety finally came to the Directorate General of the Department of Social Welfare, Mahoday. According to the directive of DG Mahodaya, the intrusion officer, calling on the Child Helpline 1098 on December 26, 2016, seeks co-operation for the child's safe haven.
After receiving all the information of the child, the Helpline communicates with the services from different directory of the resource directories. Finally, on 29 December, a non-governmental organization working with abandoned children, in contact with the deputy director, expressed interest in taking the child. On January 16, 2017, after the agency's application, the court allowed all children to transfer to the non-government organization after the legal process.
On January 17th, the child was taken directly from Comilla to Dhaka. UCD 3, officially handed over to the company under the supervision of Dhaka. Here the child has a beautiful name. The child is now safe.
Case Study 3: ABIR IS GOING TO SCHOOL
Disabled child Abir is 17 years old. She goes to school regularly with other children. He participated in the ninth grade annual examination and from the Model High School. The headmaster of the school Mostafa Kamal did not give him promotion in the tenth grade because he did not do good results in a couple of cases.
He said that Abir will not be kept in the school if he submits his certificate to the special needs child. Abir lives with her family in Shyampur area of Old Dhaka. His father and mother were very worried about the news. On 7 January 2017, they called for help on 1098. Helpline initially communicates with the local institution for identifying the child's disability and the child's family has given certificate of intellectual disability as soon as the child service officer-1 (Dhaka) submits to the office, the social service officer instructs the child with the certificate given by the doctor.
On July 29, 2017, authorities admitted Abir to the certificate if the certificate was submitted to the school. Abir is continuing his studies in an uncompromising endeavor. She is now preparing for the SSC examination after passing her 10th class election. Sometimes Abir told the helpline on phone. Abir and his family are very happy to get 1098 service.
Contract for Emergency
Child Sensitive Social Protection in Bangladesh (CSPB) Project
Department of Social Services (7th floor)
E-8/B-1, Agargaon, Dhaka
Phone: 58153535, 58152842
Planning and Implementation: Cabinet Division, A2I, BCC, DoICT and BASIS
Technical Assistance:
