Sairam - Food help line..redirecting to webmaster - Saibabanews group..

[Guest guest]

Rohit,

 

The food help line mail for excess food, was circulated by webmaster of

Saibabanews group.

 

hence i am requesting the webmaster to comment on its authencity.

 

Vikas

 

 

--- On Sat, 5/30/09, rOhit beHaL <omgurudev33 wrote:

 

 

rOhit beHaL <omgurudev33

Re: Sairam - Food help line..Is this help correctly phrased ?

nandlalvikas, ,

saibabanews ,

Cc: mahadevan12, ushamadhusudhan2003,

shrikant.kalluri

Saturday, May 30, 2009, 9:54 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAIRAM...FOUND THIS SITE...AND WHAT IT SAYS REGARDING THE 1098 PHONE SERVICE. SO

WHOM TO BELIEVE NOW?....DISCRETION REQUIRED I GUESS.....

 

 

http://www.childlineindia.org.in/

 

 

 

THE ACTUAL FACTS ABOUT  CHILDLINE 1098

SERVICE http://www.childlineindia.org.in/1098/faqs.htm

 

Caution Warning : We understand there is a chain mail circulating that says -

one should call up 1098 to pick up left over food after a party etc. so that it

is not wasted. We are India's only and most widespread Children's phone

emergency outreach service [1098] for children in need of care & protection. We

do not pick up food or distribute food. This mail is not initiated by us, kindly

do not circulate it. Your co-operation is appreciated.

 

 

 

 

1. What is CHILDLINE ?

CHILDLINE is India's first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children

in need of aid and assistance. Whether you are a concerned adult or a child, you

can dial 1098, the toll free number to access our services. We not only respond

to the emergency needs of children, but also link them to services for their

long-term care and rehabilitation.

 

 

 

2. How does CHILDLINE work ?

CHILDLINE in each city operates through a structured network of street and

community youth, non-profit organisations, institutions, and concerned

individuals. 

Each call centre has a team of trained youth who man the telephone lines 24

hours a day. Within 60 minutes (at most) of receiving a call the team rushes to

the child and attends to the crisis at hand. It may involve going to a police

station, the Juvenile Welfare Board or a hospital. There is a regular follow up

till the child tides through the crisis, after which options for long term

rehabilitation are presented to the child.. 

 

 

3. Where/ how did CHILDLINE start ?

Ms Jeroo Billimoria always found time to interact with children staying on

railway stations or Mumbai's night shelters. Children started calling her in

crisis at her residence at any point of day and night. 

The seeds of CHILDLINE were sown

by the urgency of such calls and the fact that all of these were late in the

night; after all other voluntary services were closed for the day. Each time,

Jeroo had to rush out to take these children to hospitals, police stations,

shelters, anywhere to get help. 

The need of the hour was a day-night emergency service that these children could

call at any time for help. The service had to be widespread and round the clock,

keeping in mind that the street children are a mobile unit and that help might

be needed at any time of the day. 

A telephone outreach service, backed by an extensive, round-the-clock network of

support and crisis intervention was an appropriate solution.

The rationale behind setting up a service of this kind was: 

- Lack of immediate assistance when needed and no access to services 

- Lack of awareness about available resources 

- Lack of coordinated effort between Government and voluntary organizations 

- Lack of children's participation in programmes 

- Child protection not on the national agenda 

 

 

4. Who owns 1098 ?

1098 is a four digit telephone number allocated exclusively to CHILDLINE India

Foundation, by the department of Tele communication, Ministry of Communication &

IT, in order to set up a nation wide toll free helpline for children in

distress. The CHILDLINE service is developed and implemented across the country

by CIF. All organisations Partnering CIF to implement the service are funded by

CIF for the CHILDLINE service.

 

 

5. How is it different from any other helpline ?

Globally no other non-profit children's helpline provides outreach services.

CHILDLINE goes beyond counselling over the phone by using the telephone as a

medium to link children in need of services that exist for their rehabilitation.

 

 

6. Who does CHILDLINE reach out to ?

We work for the protection of the rights of all children in general. But our

special focus is on all children in need of care and protection, especially the

more vulnerable sections, which include: 

- Street children and youth living alone on the streets 

- Child labourers working in the unorganised and organized sectors 

- Domestic help, especially girl domestics 

- Children affected by physical / sexual / emotional abuse in family, schools or

institutions. 

- Children who need emotional support and

guidance 

- Children of commercial sex workers 

- Child victims of the flesh trade 

- Victims of child trafficking 

- Children abandoned by parents or guardians 

- Missing children 

- Run away children 

- Children who are victims of substance abuse 

- Differently-abled children 

- Children in conflict with the law 

- Children in institutions 

- Mentally challenged children 

- HIV/ AIDS infected children 

- Children affected by conflict and disaster 

- Child political refugees 

- Children whose families are in crises 

 

 

7. Who does CHILDLINE help?

CHILDLINE reaches out to children from 0-18 years and in extreme emergencies to

young adults up to the age of 25. 

 

 

8. How does CHILDLINE reach the child in need & what happens to the child

thereafter ?

After a child/concerned adult dials 1098, a CHILDLINE member who depending on

the nature of the call, provides appropriate assistance. 

It may vary from counselling over the phone for emotional support and guidance,

information and referral to services for the caller, to information about

CHILDLINE. 

In the case of an emergency it may require reaching out to the child

immediately. A CHILDLINE team then rushes to the child within 60minutes of the

call and appropriate help is provided.

This may range from taking the child to a shelter/hospital, protection from

abuse, repatriation to intensive counselling etc. 

After the emergency needs of the child have been addressed, CHILDLINE explores

options with the child to study, learn a trade, go back home etc. Based on the

decision of the child, CHILDLINE links the child to an appropriate organisation

in the city.

 

 

9. Do children really call ?

CHILDLINE has responded to over 13 million (as off Jan. 2008) calls nationally.

Help is just a phone call away for a number of children who would never know

whom or where to ask for help. In the first year we received 6000 calls in

Mumbai and it is today over 2 million calls per year from 81 cities. Over 60% of

all calls are from children the - rest being from concerned adults. 

 

 

10. What do children call CHILDLINE for ?

There are a number of reasons for which children turn to CHILDLINE. 

Children call when they are ill, have met with accidents, when they are lost,

being abused, in need of shelter, have run away and want to return to their

families, in need of counselling and guidance, for CHILDLINE to perform the last

rites when no family claims remains of deceased children. 

 

 

11. CHILDLINE is never seen on TV, so do children really know about the

service ?

CHILDLINE's first mandate and priority is to ensure on the ground communication

in all areas of a city where children live in extremely vulnerable situation.

Often they do not have access to the media. Hence to make them confident that

CHILDLINE will be there for them, the thrust of CHILDLINE outreach programmes is

through direct word of mouth methods. 

It involves meetings with children at street corners, market places, parks,

railway stations. Bus stands etc., sharing the concept of CHILDLINE with

them, teaching them how to dial 1098, speak on the phone, etc. 

Periodical evaluation of the service and the needs of the children also take

place at CHILDLINE meets, there are Bal Adalats at these meetings. At CHILDLINE

the largest number of volunteers are youth who have been in vulnerable

situations as children. Their ownership to the service is very high, they feel

that CHILDLINE belongs to them and assume that to call CHILDLINE when any of

them are in trouble is their responsibility. 

 

 

12. What kind of cases are reported at CHILDLINE ?

There are two types of cases which are reported - Direct Intervention &

Non-Intervention. The Direct Intervention calls are when a child requires

medical attention, shelter, repatriation, rescue from abuse, death related,

report a missing child, emotional support & guidance, Information/ Referral to

Services etc. The Non-Intervention calls are primarily for awareness building or

due to technical connectivity problems. 

Over 65% of all calls require direct intervention.

 

 

13. How many cities is CHILDLINE currently operating in ?

CHILDLINE is currently functional in 81 cities/ 25 states across the country. We

aim to be in all 596 districts in the country over the next 10 years. 

 

 

14. How do I call CHILDLINE ?

Currently 1098 is toll-free from all BSNL/MTNL lines. 

All calls terminating on a designated BSNL/MTNL phone line are not charged to

either the caller or to the CHILDLINE centre. In some cities private tele-com

service providers are also providing connectivity to 1098.. 

 

 

15. Can I make the call from a mobile ?

Connection between users of different phone services is determined by the

quality of " interconnection " between telecom service providing companies. 

Interconnection is how a phone provided by (for e.g.) TATA is able to connect to

a BSNL landline or how an Airtel mobile user can connect to a Hutch user. 

Interconnection is determined by an Interconnect agreement between telecom

companies that allows them to pay each other for service provided to their

customers.

Connectivity for 1098 means that all 1098 dialed calls from any telecom service

provider's instrument- whether mobile or landline or PCO - must terminate on our

BSNL/MTNL instrument at the CHILDLINE centre. 

In order for this to happen private telecom service providers must agree to

transfer 1098 calls to the BSNL/MTNL exchange from where it will be routed to

our centre.

The Question is will BSNL/MTNL agree to receive 1098 calls from a private

telecom service provider's number? 

Yes if a interconnect charge is paid to them for each such call. 

But who will foot this bill (30 paise per call)? 

Either BSNL/MTNL has to agree not to charge or private telecom service provider

has to agree to pay and not charge caller.

To resolve this problem we are currently working on the following available

options:

- We have to talk to each private telecom service provider to persuade them to

agree to bear the interconnect charge.. 

- Or we have to get TRAI to make 1098 mandatory for private service providers

- Or we have to get Dept of Telecom to agree that BSNL/MTNL will not charge

interconnect charges 

- Or we have to get Ministry of Comm. & IT to agree to make 1098 a category I

service in National Numbering plan. 

 

 

16. When should I call ?

CHILDLINE is a 24-hour helpline, hence if you see a child in need of care &

protection you can call up at any hour of the day! 

 

 

17. How can I help ?

There are various ways in which one can support CHILDLINE.

 

Call 1098 when to see any child in distress

Tell every vulnerable child you see, about CHILDLINE 1098

Make a donation to CHILDLINE India Foundation so we can reach more children in

more cities.

Volunteer with us

 

 

 

18. What are the tax benefits/exemptions a donor is entitled to ?

A donor is entitled to a 100% tax exemption Under Sec 35 AC for a donation

exceeding Rs 5000/- and a 50% tax exemption Under Sec 80G for amounts below Rs

5000/-

 

 

19. What is CIF ?

CHILDLINE India Foundation is a registered Non-Profit, NGO founded to set up a

helpline service for children in distress. In 1998, the Ministry of Social

Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, appointed CHILDLINE India

Foundation (CIF) as the nodal agency for initiating and sustaining CHILDLINE

1098 across the nation. As of 2006 CHILDLINE project is supported by the

Ministry for Women & Child Development. 

CIF undertakes replication of CHILDLINE, networking and facilitation, training,

research and documentation, and awareness and advocacy both at the national

and international level.

 

 

20. Does CHILDLINE have its own hospitals/shelters ?

CHILDLINE does not believe in duplication of services but the integration of

services that already exist. We network with various NGO's across the country

and act as a link between a child in need and the services available. We also

provide assistance in improving the quality of services available and advocate

for initiation of services where it doesn't exist.

 

 

21. How does CHILDLINE work with the Government ?

With 43% of India's population below 18 no single organisation can hope to reach

every child in distress without the support of the Government. Indeed in the

welfare of India's citizens is the primary responsibility of the Government of

India. The Governments role covers drafting and implementing legislation,

framing policies, developing programs for marginalised children, preparing the

operational plan and roll-out the plans through Central and State Governments,

provide budgetary support and finally to build

partnerships with civil society organisations such as CHILDLINE. Therefore

CHILDLINE builds linkages with the Government at all levels to ensure effective

reach of services. CHILDLINE also advocates with the Government for appropriate

legislation and policy frameworks. In addition CHILDLINE make recommendations to

the Planning Commission to ensure adequate support for programs aimed at child

protection.

 

 

22. Is 1098 linked to the Police or Ambulance services ?

Not directly. The Police, Fire and Ambulance are given mandatory status with

three digit help lines (100/101/102). These have to be provided by all tele-com

service providers and link up to the local Police/ Fire/ Ambulance units.

However CHILDLINE works very closely with the Police, Judiciary, Health Care

Department, Municipality, Education Department, Administration and the Media. We

call these the Allied systems. CHILDLINE has set up Children's Advisory Boards

(CAB) in each CHILDLINE city to which all Allied System Organisations depute

representatives. In addition CHILDLINE conducts sensitization programs amongst

Allied System Organisations to build capacities in dealing with marginalized

children. 

 

 

SAIRAM

 

 

 

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