Every year we survey our child helpline members to get a comprehensive regional and global picture of issues facing children and young people. Our report, “Voices of Children and Young People in Eastern & Southern Africa” is based on the data received from 11 child helplines in 10 countries in the region, representing eSwatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The purpose of our annual survey is to understand the issues faced by the children and young people making contact with child helplines. The report notes the high practice of child/early marriages in both Eastern and Southern Africa, while also noting the existence of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Eastern Africa with little or no evidence of it in Southern Africa. The report provides some key recommendations, which include reserving a pan-Africa national range number 116 for harmonised child helplines in Africa, promoting cross-border collaborations in addressing child/early marriages and FGM, and supporting child helplines in strengthening their data collection, analyses and use of data for advocacy purposes.