The Ministry of Women and Child Development in India has decided to integrate the women’s helpline and child helpline services with the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) as part of the One Nation One Helpline vision.
As a part of the overarching vision of One Nation, One Helpline and as a priority during the second National Chief Secretaries’ Conference, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has decided to link the Women’s Helpline and Child Helpline with ERSS-112 (Emergency Response Support System).
Earlier, the Ministry of Childline was supporting this 24×7 helpline, Childline 1098, under the erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme of the Ministry through the India Foundation (CIF) and its partner NGOs. Childline India Foundation (CIF) was the “mother NGO” managing the service as Childline, reported HS.
According to the ministry, CIF, through its network of over 1,000 units, is providing Childline services in 568 districts, 135 railway stations, and 11 bus stands. CIF has a response time of approximately 60 minutes for calls made to a child in distress. However, the existing system lacks interoperability with other services like police, fire, and ambulance, leading to the loss of valuable time in times of crisis. Further, the CIF network could cover only 568 districts. That is, he could not include about 200 districts under Childline.
In view of this, the Government has decided to integrate the Child Helpline with ERSS-112 to take care of children in distress through responsible and accountable administration.
The strengthening of service delivery structures under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, as amended in 2021, will have a positive impact on the child helpline system operated in collaboration with States and UTs. The technical integration with ERSS-112 is expected to usher in a seamless flow of information, which will effectively aid in the repatriation and rehabilitation of children in distress within districts and states/UTs.
