Every Call Matters: Why Child Helplines Are Critical for Protecting Children
This week in Geneva, Child Helpline International (CHI) co-hosted a side event at the UN Human Rights Council with the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the United Nations in Geneva, exploring a question that sits at the heart of our work: how can we strengthen child protection systems so that every child who reaches out for help receives a timely, […]
Preventing Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Africa: What Works?
Strengthening Child Protection Through Awareness Raising and Stakeholder Engagement
Across Eastern and Southern Africa, child helplines are strengthening national responses to Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) through community-driven awareness campaigns and coordinated stakeholder engagement. The new Voice Up Africa! Best Practices Report documents practical insights, impact and lessons learned from seven national child helplines working to prevent and respond to OCSEA. The report […]
JUST LISTEN officially launches in Lisbon
On 3–4 February 2026, Laura and I travelled to Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the kick-off meeting of the JUST LISTEN – Justice Professionals Listening to and Engaging Safely with Traumatized and Exploited Children, a project co-funded by the European Union under the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Hosted by NOVA School of Law, the two-day meeting marked the […]
The Role of Child Helplines in Ending Domestic Violence Against Children in the EU
Position Paper and Child Helpline Data – December 2025 Domestic violence remains one of the most persistent and under-detected forms of violence affecting children across the European Union (EU). This report brings together annual data submitted by child helplines and findings from a dedicated consultation with child helplines from 16 EU Member States. Every year, thousands of children […]
Recommendations for Strengthening EU Action to Protect Children from Violence
Data-Driven Findings to Inform EU Efforts on Prevention, Detection and Support
Violence remains one of the most common reasons why children and young people contact child helplines. Between 2020 and 2024, child helplines across Europe recorded 1.3 million violence-related counselling contacts, including nearly 80,000 bullying-related contacts in 2024 alone. Technology-facilitated child sexual abuse and exploitation (TF-CSEA) is also rising, with 10,107 contacts in 2024, up from […]
Recommendations for the Improvement of Mental Health of children and young people across Europe
Data from European child helplines
Across Europe, mental health is the leading reason why children and young people contact child helplines. Between 2020 and 2024, child helplines received 2.9 million mental-health-related contacts (39% of all counselling contacts), including more than 1 million linked to fear, anxiety or mood problems, and nearly 700,000 involving self-harm or suicidal thoughts. In 2024 alone, […]
Voices of Children & Young People Around the World
Global Child Helpline Data from 2024
In 2024, child helplines worldwide received over 6.1 million contacts from children and young people, including 2.6 million counselling contacts where direct support was provided. Our new factsheet brings together data from 83 child helplines around the world, offering powerful insights into the challenges children face and the support they seek. Key findings: Mental health was […]
Voice Up Africa! From Foundations to Action
Across Eastern and Southern Africa, an increasing number of children and young people are active online each year (UNICEF, 2023). Increased access to the internet brings incredible opportunities for learning, communication, and connection. But it also presents new challenges to children and young people, especially the risk of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA). […]
Child Helpline International at the Olympism365 Summit – Advancing Safe Sport for Children
Child Helpline International (CHI) was proud to participate in the inaugural Olympism365 Summit, a milestone event organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland on 3-5 June 2025. Reflecting the Summit’s central theme, Sport for a Better World, the event brought together more than 300 global stakeholders to examine how the power and […]