CHILD helplines, dedicated to children, are invaluable. They offer the young a safe space where they can speak to a trained counsellor, without judgment, about concerns and a wide range of issues.
Critically they offer a lifeline to abused children to seek help and rescue. Trained call counsellors can offer guidance on a variety of issues, including family problems, peer relationships, psycho-social health, etc. In addition, they offer data that can inform policy and practice.
The 15999 Childline was started in 2010 by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry with the aid of Childline Foundation, Malaysia. This first child helpline was a free 24-hour helpline for children, manned by trained staff and was called the Talian Nur hotline for children.
This was subsequently redesigned into the Talian Kasih in 2015, which has a much wider scope that includes abuse, domestic violence, juvenile problems, poverty, single mothers, persons with disabilities, welfare assistance, counselling services, etc.
One positive thing about the current Talian Kasih is the availability of a WhatsApp number to enable the deaf to express their concerns.
While the Talian Kasih plays an important role, it dilutes the support that children require as it results in a larger volume of calls to deal with. Staff also have to be trained in many different areas and may lack expertise and be a less effective service for children.
There have been calls by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and the Child Rights Coalition Malaysia to restore the functions of the Talian Nur child helpline as a dedicated line to ensure the safety of children. The lack of a dedicated child helpline has prompted other civil society organisations to start helplines for children and young people, like the Buddy Bear Childline.
To improve the quality of our civil service helplines we should provide two different lines – one general helpline for welfare needs and adult issues and another dedicated to children. The dedicated helpline for children and teenagers should be managed by trained staff with experience in dealing with psychosocial issues in children, including child abuse.
There should be a range of staff who can speak Chinese, English, Bahasa Malaysia and Tamil; possibly some East Malaysian languages as well for calls from Sabah and Sarawak.
The helpline should be child and teenager-friendly. The dedicated helpline for children must have the capacity to respond quickly, all over the country, to urgent needs when violence is involved. This could be best done with staff from the Welfare Department partnering with the large network of civil society organisations using the provisions under the Child Act 2001.
There should be ongoing training for those manning the helpline with emotional support provided by the staff. A dedicated helpline for children should be free and manned 24 hours.
It should be widely and continually advertised via all forms of media and in all education facilities so that children are aware of the service.
One important point to note about children calling in is that they may take time to express their concerns. Internationally, it is recognised that boys in particular may call up to seven times before speaking up. Hence these should not be regarded as "prank calls" but rather "drop calls" and should be taken seriously.
Finally, any serious attempt to provide a dedicated helpline for children and teenagers should be audited periodically for improvement and must include feedback from children.
DR AMAR SINGH, Consultant Paediatrician, Child-Disability Activist; and P.H. WONG
Childline Foundation & Co-Secretariat Child Rights Coalition Malaysia