Congratulations to the great efforts of our member child helpline La Strada, who have successfully advocated for the introduction of the harmonised 116111 number for the National Child Hotline in Ukraine!
Inspired by international advocacy efforts facilitated by Child Helpline International, La Strada initiated contact with government bodies and mobile operators through persistent letter writing. This resulted in a meeting in March 2017 between La Strada, the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communication and Informatisation, and all Ukrainian mobile operators to discuss the possible introduction of the harmonised number 116 111 for child helplines. This was unanimously agreed by all parties.
“We really appreciate the advocacy efforts of Child Helpline International on an international level. Cooperating with the GSMA helped us open up this discussion on a national level.”
THE PROMOTION OF THE HARMONISED NUMBER 116111 IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN FULLY INTEGRATING CHILD HELPLINES IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS
The European Commission reserved the regionally harmonised number 116 111 for child helplines in 2007. The promotion of this number is an important step in fully integrating child helplines in national and international child protection systems. La Strada has an exciting time ahead in introducing and promoting the number and establishing the status of the National Child Hotline as a key element in both Ukrainian and European child protection systems.