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Spotlight

Child Rights Observatory ENCRO

Egypt National Child Rights Observatory (ENCRO) is a tri-partite initiative aiming to put the bases for a scientific research mechanism

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Child Helpline 16000

Goal

The Child Helpline, reachable at the short number 16000, is a mechanism for receiving and recording child complaints. It provides protection from violence, abuse and neglect all over the country within the framework of a real partnership with the concerned ministries and social community working in this field.

Time Span

The helpline became operational on 29 June 2005 and is still active.

Geographical Scope

The program is active throughout the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Target Groups

The program targets families and children confronted with any type of problem.

Achievements

The helpline is monitored and evaluated by 3 committees: the monitoring and facilitation committee, the health committee, and the technical committee.
The helpline received 694.248 calls and registered 28.419 complaints, subdivided into

Other achievements include:

• The provision of a very strong tool for psychiatric consultations and family guidance, which is considered real support to the Egyptian family. This tool helps the family with methodologies of healthy social upbringing and ways to raise children and limiting psychological problems that the child may suffer from.
• A number of teachers who used violence against children have been administratively penalized on the basis of complaints introduced against them through the hotline.
• The preparation of maps identifying locations with a high concentration of street children.

Challenges

Nonetheless, the helpline still faces a number of challenges:

• Health Insurance Authority services do not cover disabled children at ages from 6-18 years.
• There are no shelters for mentally disabled street children.
• Conflicts between the parents when separated or divorced in custody cases can weigh heavily on the families.
• Shelters run by the Ministry of Social Solidarity refuse to accept street children who are ill.
• In the case of family violence no legal measures can be enforced for the protection of the child without an official complaint submitted by a parent or relative of the child that has been abused.

Partner(s)

The partners involved are:

• Governmental sector: ministries (social solidarity, interior, justice, health, education, and labour); governor offices all over the country; the health insurance authority; and the psychological service centre of the Ain Shams University.
• Civil society: 2 NGOs in 9 governorates.
• Private sector: sponsors.