Child Helplines and the EU Network for Children’s Rights: Synergies and Opportunities
A few weeks ago, I had the honour to participate in the 2nd meeting of the recently established EU Network for Children’s Rights, representing Child Helpline International as Deputy Regional Representative for Europe. Organised by the office of the European Commission Coordinator for the Rights of the Child at DG Justice and Consumers, the meeting […]
These Are The Children…
Today is exactly one year since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. It is exactly one year that Ukrainian children have been living under conditions of full-scale war: conditions of fear, of pain, of endless grief and tears. As at 20 February 2023, 461 Ukrainian children have been killed as the […]
An Africa Fit for Children begins with Child Helplines
In 2020, Lifeline Childline Zambia recorded a case of a 14-year-old girl who had lost her mother about two months earlier. For the purposes of this blog, I won’t call this girl by her real name, of course – so, let’s just call her “Hope”… Hope was struggling to accept that her mother was gone, […]
United by One Vision
“Children should be seen, heard and believed.” That’s what it says on the business card of the assistant director of media and information of the Sri Lankan Child Protection Authority, and that’s what they all truly believe and fight for at this child helpline. Not only does the Authority have a hotline that is open […]
Mental health is a future challenge we are currently facing
The importance of health was highlighted during the demanding but also unprecedented conditions of a health crisis, while the pandemic crisis also left its mark by shedding light on how difficult it is for individuals and entire societies to manage a threat to people. During 2021, “The Smile of the Child” witnessed a rapid increase […]
Mental Health Impact
Mental health is an essential and integral part of individual’s overall health. Mental health issues have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, their self-esteem and self-image, their relationships with others, and therefore, their broader community. The period of childhood and adolescence presents unique challenges and difficulties for children, youth and their parents. […]
Covid-19 and Mental Health in Switzerland: pt 2
“Through a Child Helpline International member in Europe, children/young people and young adults are showing how they are suffering greatly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the associated measures and restrictions. This is reflected not only in the increased need for counselling, but also in the changing themes on all direct professional counselling […]
Suicidal thoughts, mental health and the 1147 Line
Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts “I need you to know that after this call, if this doesn’t work, I’m going to end it all“; with words like these we receive many requests for help, in search of a chance to survive the hopelessness and unrelenting pain. Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts are risk behaviours that […]
Mental Health Information
In support of Child Helpline International’s Mental Health Awareness Campaign, we at Linea Azul to shed light on our work in Uruguay. Children and young people in Uruguay, as in other countries, have been showing an increasing interest and concern to delve deeper into their mental health. LINEA AZUL receives requests for intervention which, in […]
Breaking the stigma
HOPELINEUK is a suicide prevention helpline operated by PAPYRUS, a UK charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide. We believe that many young suicides are preventable. HOPLELINEUK is a free and confidential call, text and email service that supports young people age 35 and under across the UK that are experiencing thoughts of suicide, and […]