As Regional Representative for Africa, I represented Child Helpline International and addressed the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) during its 44th Ordinary Session in Maseru, Lesotho. We presented findings from a comprehensive data analysis of child helplines in 12 countries across East and Southern Africa, revealing alarming trends in child protection issues.
The report, titled “Child Helplines in Africa: A Critical Child Protection Platform and Data Source for Policy Makers” was developed in collaboration with ChildLine Botswana, with generous support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Save the Children International. It highlights data collected between 2020 and 2022 from child helplines in Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Key Findings
The report focuses on three major themes: mental health, violence against children and missing children. The findings underscore the vital role child helplines play in offering immediate support and collecting critical data on violations of children’s rights across the region.
- Mental Health: Over 53,000 counselling calls were made related to emotional and psychological distress, emphasizing the urgent need for accessible mental health services, especially in rural areas.
- Violence Against Children: Calls related to abuse were particularly high in Zambia and South Africa, showcasing the widespread prevalence of violence against children.
- Missing Children: Many of the reported cases of missing children were tied to issues such as trafficking and poverty, with the majority concentrated in countries facing socio-economic instability.
I emphasized the urgent need for stronger national and regional child protection mechanisms: “Child helplines in Africa are essential tools for intervention and advocacy. Their sustainability and expansion are crucial for protecting vulnerable children across the region.”
Recommendations to the Committee
During my address, I presented several key recommendations to the ACERWC, urging regional governments and the African Union to prioritize child protection through the following actions:
- Support Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Helplines: Recognize helplines as core advocacy tools to address child protection issues.
- National Awareness Campaigns: Promote the availability of child helplines, particularly in rural and under-served areas.
- Data-Driven Policy Development: Encourage state parties to develop policies based on the data from the report, addressing the needs identified in the 12 countries involved.
- Increased Funding: Urge governments to increase funding and resources for child helplines to ensure their sustainability and capacity to respond to the growing needs of children across the region.
A Pan-African Approach
One of the standout recommendations was the call for the implementation of the Pan-African regional harmonized child helplines’ free-to-call number, 116. This would promote cross-border collaboration in addressing child protection issues throughout Africa.
Conclusion
I concluded by reiterating the importance of child helplines as a lifeline for children in distress and a valuable data source for policymakers. Child Helpline International is calling on African governments to prioritize the funding and sustainability of these services, emphasizing the organization’s slogan, “Every Child Has a Voice.”
We look forward to seeing the African Union and its member states act on these recommendations to enhance child protection systems across the continent.
Michael Marwa
Regional Representative Africa
