In five years since the Children’s Helpline was launced, it has received around 33,000 calls. The most frequent issues reported are defective communication with the parents, bullying in school, and loneliness.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, of the total calls, about 22,000 were made by children, with the rest being made by parents, relatives or neighbors.
“Our goal is to make this phone number known to every child in Moldova, so that children can call and talk about their issues, or inform themselves about their rights and how these rights can be exercised and defended; and so that we the specialists can offer timely response and prevent crisis situations involving children”, stated Viorica Dumbrăveanu, MHLSP state secretary.
Launched on 4 June 2014, the Children’s Helpline 116 111 is a telephone line for providing assistance to children in distress. It is administered by MHLSP and operated by the NGO CNFACEM. The helpline provides emotional support to both children and parents in difficulty as well as know-your-rights counseling. The service is available round the clock and the calls are toll-free, confidential and anonymous.
