Ashima Bhatt, 14th-20th November, 2014, Shimla
CHILDLINE Shimla organized a six day event from 14th to 20th November in Shimla, marking the ‘CHILDLINE India Week Celebrations’ called ‘CHILDLINE Se Dosti’, during which different events are held for the underprivileged children in India and year after year and the much anticipated event is celebrated with unmatched vigor and enthusiasm. A week-long nationwide campaign from the 14th of November to 20th November aims at creating friends for CHILDLINE and is envisaged as a warm and inviting initiative to create awareness about 1098. Reaching out to old and young from all walks of life and bringing together children with their protectors in form of police officials, allied systems, educational institutions, youth, working adults and many more, CHILDLINE Se Dosti is not just another campaign but a medium to strengthen the rights of children in India. In Himachal the CHILDLINE is run by the Himachal Pradesh Voluntary Health Association.
CHILDLINE stands for a friendly ‘didi’ or a sympathetic ‘bhaiya’ who is always there for vulnerable children 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year. With more than 31 million calls as of March 2014, four million children, 291 cities and 18 years of existence — it spells hope for millions of children across India. 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, a toll-free number to access their services. They not only respond to the emergency needs of children but also link them to services for their long-term care and rehabilitation. Till date, the organization has reached out to over three million children across the nation through such calls.
CHILDLINE is a platform which is bringing together the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, Department of Telecommunications, street and community youth, non-profit organisations, academic institutions, the corporate sector and concerned individuals.
CHILDLINE works for the protection of the rights of all children in general. But their 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 unorganized and organized sectors, domestic help, especially girls, children affected by physical / sexual / emotional abuse in family, schools or institutions, children who need emotional support and guidance, children of commercial sex workers, victims of the flesh trade and trafficking, abandoned by parents or guardians, missing children, runaways, victims of substance abuse, differently-abled children, children in conflict with the law, in institutions, mentally challenged, HIV/ AIDS infected children, those affected by conflict and disaster, political refugees and whose families are in crises.
Talking to the co-coordinator of the event in Shimla, Meenakshi Kanwar said, “‘Dosti Week’ is synonymous with fun, excitement plus driving change at a local and national level and spreading knowledge about child rights and child protection. This week is loaded with numerous activities that CHILDLINE’s across cities and towns organize in their respective area. We have organized many activities during the span of six days in Shimla including a drawing competition which was held in Durgapur Ashram and prizes were also given to the winners. As a lot of children in Shimla travel in buses, we pasted CHILDLINE toll-free number stickers on the buses. On 18th and 19th, a signature campaign was held outside Gaiety amphitheatre on Ridge. Till 18thevening, there were approximately 1,500 signatures and most of them were students. On the last day we will be showing the children of slum area, a documentary on sexual abuse to warn and educate them about the vices”.