Helping child helplines protect children online

Telenor Group and Child Helpline International collaborate to build capacity at child helplines

Telenor Group and Child Helpline International have joined forces to provide child helpline counsellors worldwide with advanced training in responding to victims and in preventing online risks. The training will focus on victim reporting and support, referrals to services for ongoing assistance, and building children’s resilience and empowerment.

The internet is the primary platform for different types of educational, cultural and entertainment content for children, and it also presents ever new challenges.  Just in 2015, child helplines in Europe and Asia registered over 11,000 cases concerning issues of sexual exploitation, extortion and abuse online. Children and young people are the most active digital citizens, so it is crucial to empower them and promote their resilience by offering them the right tools to protect themselves, and to mitigate and manage the risks they encounter online. Equally important, children and young people must be able to turn to someone who can listen and assist them on these issues, 24/7, regardless of where they are.

Launch! eLearning on OCSEA, hotlines and reporting portals together with IWF

  • Child helplines will have more tools to empower and help children and young people to build digital skills and resilience.

The capacity building module on child online protection (COP) will include the Terminology Guidelines For The Protection Of Children From Sexual Exploitation And Sexual Abuse (Luxembourg Guidelines, 2016) as well as some topics covered by the GSMA Internet Safety Guides. The content will be produced with data collected from COP high-level experts from the public and private sector, youth representatives and child helplines from 12 target countries in Asia and Europe. After the project ends, all tools, modules and learnings will be available to the entire network of child helplines.

Just in 2015, child helplines in Europe and Asia registered over 11,000 cases concerning issues of sexual exploitation, extortion and abuse online

Child Helpline International and Telenor have a history of collaboration. Telenor supported child helplines in the Asia Pacific Region during Child Helpline International’s 7th Regional Consultation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2015.  During this event, Telenor provided training on child online protection and presented their study in Malaysia on Online Safety. Telenor also participated in the 8th International Consultation in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2016, by presenting different approaches on how to help children to be safe online.

On December 13th, 2016 Child Helpline International and Telenor signed a Memorandum of Understanding that unites them in a partnership collaboration to create greater synergies and impact through joint initiatives.

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  • Photo of Ola-Jo Tandre, Head of Social Responsibility at Telenor Group (second from left), during a panel discussion at ITU’s event during the International Consultation 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Telenor has been delivering communication services since 1855, and is today one of the world’s major mobile operators across markets in Scandinavia, Central Eastern Europe and Asia. In the context of Telenor’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Telenor has taken many initiatives to provide children and parents with tools on child online protection and how to stay safe online through their global programme Be Smart Use Heart.

Child helplines are often a young person’s first point of contact with child protection services

By working together with Telenor Group, at Child Helpline International we strive to empower and build children’s resilience.  Simultaneously, we will respond to the digital issues children face through our worldwide child helplines’ network.

Child helplines are often a young person’s first point of contact with child protection services. After following this training module, child helplines will be in a better position to provide children and young people with the best possible response. Additionally, child helplines will be better prepared to assist children and young people in building resilience to the many digital risks that they are exposed to on a daily basis.

Rejoignez notre Communauté de Pratique sur les compétences d’assistance aux enfants durant Covid-19

  • Participants in the International Consultation 2014 holding the Free our Voices sign.
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