Mobile phone operator Grameenphone and UNICEF have signed an agreement to support extension of the “Child Help Line – 1098” programme, currently limited to the capital Dhaka, to some other parts of the country.
Officials disclosed this at a press conference at the Westin Hotel Dhaka yesterday.
UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Edouard Beigbeder and Grameenphone’s Chief Marketing Officer Yasir Azman, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Mahmud Hossain and Telenor Bangladesh Chief Representative Officer Hans Martin Hoegh Henrichsen were present ot the occasion.
The Child Help Line, the first-ever in the country, has been providing emergency support services to children at risk throughout the capital of Dhaka since 2011.
The toll-free Child Help Line number is 1098. This is a government project implemented by the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare and supported by UNICEF in collaboration with partner NGO - Aprajayo Bangladesh.
It operates a 24-hour telephone line and is providing emergency support services to children at risk, as well as to adults who are concerned about certain children.
The service links children with existing social protection services through rescue, safe shelter, referral and networking.
“The success of Child Helpline was so compelling that we wanted to extend its reach – today that has become a reality due to our collaborative partnership with Grameenphone and the Ministry of Social Welfare,” said Edouard Beigbeder.
Beigbeder said more vulnerable children would now be able to seek professional support in times of need.
Based on the success of the pilot project, Grameenphone is supporting the extension of the service to 10 more upazilas and two city corporations, including Dhaka and Khulna.
