Kids' helpline: Finally, someone listens and someone cares

Children play chess at a correctional center in this file photo. GLOBE PHOTO

Services and projects for child protection near implementation in Kurdistan

It was during a trip to the UK in 2006 when Zaito Toufiq Tahir, manager of the directorate of social affairs in Erbil, was introduced to the child helpline services: "I liked the idea and it remained in my mind," he noted. With a mission and vision in mind, much dedication and piles of paper work, Tahir said that May 17 of this year will mark the launch of a children's helpline in Erbil. The helpline phone number, 116, is set to serve various purposes for both children and parents.

"Children confronted with violence or who are victims of any sort of threat either at home, school or outside can dial the number," said Tahir, who initiated the project. The second service of the helpline is that any individual under the age of 18 can call for counseling.

"Youth in our nation are often too shy to speak of some of the issues they are confronted with in their daily lives, especially girls; by dialing 116, they can discuss their concerns with specialists, without embarrassment or fear." He added, "We will not solve their problems, but we will try to find a solution together with the child or the teenagers." Through this method, he thinks young people will begin to learn to solve their own issues in the future.

The helpline is not designed only for children, but also provides services for parents and teachers. Any questions about the services available for children can also be asked about via the helpline?even for simple things like ?when a child is sick and the parents don't know where to take him, and which doctor is available," said Tahir. Or it could include information about schools, specific organizations or other questions.

Kurdistan is the 151st place in the world to have a helpline for children. Cooperation has taken place with Child Helpline International. A trainer from Palestine, which has positive experience with its five-year-old helpline, gave a one-month course to social workers who will man the helpline.

In the first period, the helpline will be working from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, but the project hopes to provide a 24-hour service in the long run. "The privacy of the child will be maintained, and it is something that we have stressed upon."

The provinces of Suleimaniya and Duhok have taken the same steps and undergone the same procedures as Erbil to launch the helpline; however, according to Tahir, it is necessary for a test trial to take place. "Erbil will launch first, and after a few months the help lines in the other two provinces will open as well." In preparation for the official launch, there will be a media campaign including advertisements through brochures and posters. "Every single child in Kurdistan must know what 116 is," Tahir added.

In a previous survey conducted on 300 children and 100 adults, 89% said the help line will be beneficial and they will use it when necessary. Nevertheless, Tahir confirmed that, during the process of planning the project, he encountered individuals not in favor of the idea.

Salwa Mahammad, mother of six girls, gave her support to the help line. "Teachers at school are only doing their roles in the classroom, and are not there for the kids at school if they are going through any emotional problems at home or even among their friends." She added that as a mother she does not mind if any of her daughters contacted the help line, though she did not hesitate in saying that her husband would probably oppose such an idea. "Unfortunately some parents think this help line is a threat to relations between the child and the parents; this is certainly not the case. We try to improve the relationship between parents and children?that is our aim."

Asked whether he would use the helpline facility, Soran Aziz, 11, immediately questioned the cost of the call. Tahir confirmed that agreements have been made with the phone companies working in the region for two years to offer free calls from any phone.

"There is a 95% use of mobile phones in households in Kurdistan, so the help line will provide children and young teenagers easy access to immediate help," said Tahir, who made a comparison between the European and Scandinavian countries. "Unfortunately, we do not have a Child Protection Law in Kurdistan that ensures the rights and safety of children, but it is a work plan in process."

A new project by the KRG aims to provide these children with the opportunity to live with relatives or families in foster care. "The government will support the foster family with a monthly payment," explained Tahir, adding that those families will be under supervision. "We have a list of 300 families who want to take children [abandoned newborns] for adoption; we are working in facilitating this."

In a society where sudden changes have come about, there are confrontations facing children on a daily basis, according to Tahir. These projects are all endeavors to provide children the feeling of safety and security, allowing them to believe that there is always someone who is listening, who can provide counseling and who cares about them.

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