CHILD LINE, started in 1998, India’s first 24-hour helpline service supported by the Ministry of Women & Child Development GOI. The service is for children in need of aid and assistance and is provided through a toll-free 24-hour emergency phone service (1098). Apart from responding to emergency needs, it also helps in linking children in difficult circumstances with various services meant for their long- term care and rehabilitation. This one-point contact is meant to facilitate instant access to support, guidance, and active intervention.

Outcome/Impact:
This year, Childline Sehore had a total of 660 beneficiaries under various schemes and for protecting child rights. Several activities were conducted to create awareness such as an orientation program with, Schools, Anganwadis, community organizations, NGOs, auto drivers, taxi drivers, Vendors, GRP, PRF, city Police, hospital staff and common people etc on child rights. Other activities included outreach drives,
Open House and awareness drives at different locations to create awareness about child issues, child rights, and child help-line number and so on. The team has also reached out to authorities and received immense support from them. During the year team visit about 95 villages in 8 Tehsils of Sehore district for awareness creation. Team established strong ground connectivity with Volunteers and support institutions at village level.

For CHILDLINE, the past year has also been a year of growth. The network which covered 569 districts and 129 railway stations in March 2020, has expanded. CHILDLINE services are now operational in over 81% of the country - across 598 districts, through a network of 1,070 intervention units, Child Help Desks at 141 railway stations and 5 bus terminals, and nearly 11,000 child protection personnel.

CHILDLINE has also been at the forefront of the COVID-19 response, and has been working closely with district administrations, child protection bodies, health departments, law enforcement, and civil society networks to disseminate information about COVID-19, distribute hygiene kits, food and medical supplies, and extend emergency relief and rescue for children and families affected by the crisis.Read about how CHILDLINE has been responding on the ground. You can also refer to our COVID-19 Resources page for relevant information on the COVID-19 crisis - links to government advisories, care and prevention measures, tips on communicating with children and keeping them engaged, accessing mental support and more

“The Ministry has decided to integrate the Child Helpline (1098) with Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) with telephonic short code 112 and 112 India App and their linkage with District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) with the help of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC),” according to a letter of September 12 from Manoj Kumar Prabhat,​ Under Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development.

“Childline 1098 is not just an emergency helpline. It provides a range of services to children and, therefore, the transfer from MWCD to MHA is very odd. It is assumed that once police teams receive a call on 112, it will be transferred to 1098. But there is no clarity. However, police personnel should not be the first responders as they can’t provide the support and counselling children need. I can say that from my experience as the former Joint Commissioner of Police in Delhi, where I have handled police control rooms,” Amod Kanth, founder of NGO Prayas, said. His NGO runs seven 1098 centres in Delhi and provides emergency intervention on the ground after a call is made to the helpline. Prayas was also the first partner NGO for 1098.