Childline (Helpline for Children in Distress)
APSA has run one centre of the 24-hour, toll-free Childline for children in distress from over 20 years. The APSA Childline is supported by the Childline India Foundation, a project of the Ministry of Women & Child Development. APSA began running one of the 3 Childline centres in Bengaluru city in 1997.
As part of the work of the Childline, APSA works with 29 police stations in Bengaluru city, the Departments of Labour and Women & Child Development to coordinate rescue of children from construction sites, hotels, situations of domestic conflict, abandoned, homeless or street children , missing or kidnapped children, children in beggary, child victims of physical or sexual abuse and children trafficked for labour or prostitution. APSA follows the protocols set down by the Childline India Foundation with regard to each case. Children thus rescued are produced by the APSA Childline before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for follow-up or restoration to family.
The APSA Childline provides support ranging from medical referral, legal support, temporary or long-term shelter, restoration of rescued children to family, protection from physical/sexual abuse and support for children in conflict with the law, to facilitating sponsorship support. Counselling support is also given to each child that is rescued. APSA also takes up cases referred to us by other Childlines in the State, refers children to appropriate care & educational institutions, helps to trace missing children and provides psycho-social support and guidance to families of such children. On average, the Childline receives over 2000 calls annually, of which it responds to nearly 1200 ‘intervention’ calls, and initiates action to resolve the issues.
The Childline team also conducts awareness programs for the public in Bengaluru city such as bus and auto-rickshaw stands, markets, public shopping areas companies and factories, banks, hospitals, near places of worship, in educational institutions and in police stations. They use a range of IEC materials including booklets, pamphlets, stickers, posters, information boards/kiosks. They hold puppet shows, street plays, and screen documentary films to sensitize civil society and reinforce messages of child rights and child protection with the general public.
The Childline also does information and sensitization training for various government departments such as the City Police, Women and Child Development agencies (Govt. WCD personnel, staff of Child Care Institutions, anganwadis, District Project Officers), Railway Police, Transport Department, Labour and Education (DSERT Directors, Cluster Resource Persons, School Principals & teachers). Training is also offered to NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
