CAIRO: The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood’s (NCCM) hotline for children has been getting hundreds of phone calls, most of them unrelated to the purpose of the hotline, according to Manal Shahin, who heads up the 16000 service.
Forty percent of the calls are from citizens seeking psychological counseling, followed by health inquiries, requests to ban female genital mutilation (FGM) procedures, legal questions and finally from children in need of help, says Shahin.
The hotline was launched in June 2005 as a toll free line available 24 hours seven days a week for children in all governorates around Egypt. The aim of the service is to monitor violence against children and provide treatment and rehabilitation for victims and ensure punishment for perpetrators.
“The hotline started out exclusively to cater to children in abusive situations, however it evolved to offering advice on any subject related to the Egyptian family, says Shahin.
People usually call to report domestic violence, violence at school, FGM operations, accidents, drug addiction, molestation and sexual abuse.
The NCCM set up the line in partnership with seven other ministries, including the Ministries of Social Solidarity, Interior, Health, Justice, Information and Religious Endowments. There are also partners from the private sector and civil society through non-governmental organizations.
Around 189 guidance counselors work on the hotline answering phone calls and giving advice after thoroughly examining each case.
