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Oral Statement

by Ms Nenita La Rose,

Executive Director, Child Helpline International,

at the High Level Segment of the UN ECOSOC, July 2013

Honourable President, your Excellencies,

I am humbled by the opportunity afforded to me to make this statement on behalf of

173 child helplines working in 142 countries to provide support and protection to

children and young people and to uphold their right to voice their opinion and to be

free from all forms of violence.

Child Helpline International is a unique global network of government and civil society

organisations that are the first point of contact for children and young people who are

in need of care and protection. Over the past 10 years child helplines around the worldhave received nearly 130 million contacts from children and young people,

predominantly via phone and now increasingly through text messages, emails and

chats over the internet. This means that every minute child helplines across the globe

receive 30 contacts from children and young people.

Mr President and distinguished guests, during the earlier sessions we heard a lot

about innovation and development. Let me assure you that child helplines are at the

forefront of using new technological innovations in supporting and responding to

children and young peoples needs. In May this year, Child Helpline International

received the World Summit of the Information Society Award in the field of promoting

international and regional cooperation between the telecommunication sector and

child helplines.

While child helplines began their work using telephones, which still remain the

predominant means of contact, we have incorporated modern communication

technology in our efforts to reach out to children. Over the years child helplines have

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developed counselling through text messaging, chat and emails. Social networking

sites like facebook and google+ are used by many child helplines to respond to

children and young people. In many countries child helplines have worked with

university students to develop new technologies to communicate with children and

young people living in difficult conditions. During humanitarian situations child

helplines have used innovative methods to reach out children.

While innovation and new technology are required for development, these have also

made children and young people extremely vulnerable. The contacts made with child

helplines indicate that online abuse of children is on the rise. We therefore need

policies to prevent abuse and protect children in the virtual world. Responsible

innovation is the need of the hour. Child Helpline International is working with the

International Telecommunications Union in the Child Online Protection Initiative.

Economic crisis has not only affected the pace of innovation, it has had a debilitating

impact on lives of people across the globe. Our data of nearly 130 million contacts

shows that economic crisis has exacerbated abuse and violence against children.

Commercial exploitation is rapidly increasing and we are getting more contacts from

children and young people seeking food, shelter and education support.

Innovation is done by people; a massive talent pool resides in young people. We

believe that many of these 130 million young people, who contacted child helplines,

are potential innovators. If their needs are not met and they do not get a safe

environment, we will be depriving them of the opportunity to develop their full potential

and also denying the society a huge human capital required for innovations and

development.

Child Helpline International believes that a safe and an enabling environment for

children and young people are fundamental to future innovations and sustainable

development. It can lead to inclusive and equitable economic growth that is

sustainable. Achievement of any development goals is possible only when countries

protect their human capital, the children and young people destined to become

productive citizens.

Mr. President, our recommendations to this august assembly is that

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Voices of children and young people should inform the post 2015 development

agenda

Protection, education and empowerment of young people should be

incorporated in the future agenda for sustainable and equitable growth.

Governments should be encouraged to support child helplines as they areunique sources of information about needs of children and youth.