VZCZCXYZ0014
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNR #1414/01 1621346
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101346Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6027
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001414 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E, AF/EPS, G/TIP AND DRL/IL 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO USTR FOR BILL JACKSON 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO USTR FOR LEWIS KARESH 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO DEPT OF LABOR FOR SUDHA HALEY, PATRICK WHITE AND 
MICHAL MURPHY 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ELAB KE
SUBJECT: KENYA LAUNCHES CHILD HELPLINE TO FIGHT CHILD ABUSE, LABOR 
AND TRAFFICKING 
 
¶1. Summary: The Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs and 
Childline Kenya officially launched the 116 Child Helpline joint 
initiative on May 31, 2008.  Children and others can call toll-free 
on any landline or cell phone to report cases of child abuse, labor 
or trafficking and receive counseling or referral to government or 
NGO service providers.  The Center received over 14,000 calls in 
April and May, and we hope it will make a significant contribution 
to improving the treatment of children in Kenya.  End summary. 
 
Background on Childline Kenya 
------------------------------ 
¶2. In 2004, Plan International started the Childline Initiative as a 
supplement to the Department of Children's Affairs help line, which 
had become moribund.  Plan International recruited Kenya's leading 
child advocacy NGOs as members, including UNICEF, CRADLE, World 
Vision, ANPPCAN, the Child Welfare Society of Kenya, and the Women's 
Right Awareness Program.  Plan International organized a Childline 
Steering Committee to decide policy and strategic direction, and a 
secretariat composed of the national coordinator and project team 
for daily management.  Then it spun Childline Kenya off into a 
separate NGO. 
 
¶3. Childline Kenya works to protect children from all forms of 
violence and abuse and to create a culture of childrens rights 
within Kenya so that crimes against children will not go 
unchallenged.  Its motto is "Break the silence on child abuse." 
 
¶4. Childline Kenya provides a nation-wide 24-hour toll-free helpline 
for counseling and referral services to children, young persons and 
families in difficult situations.  Childline's main strategy is to 
link children with GOK agencies, partner NGOs, and professionals 
with the capacity to provide the necessary services in the areas of 
health, legal aid, counseling, rescue and emergency response, child 
rights promotion, shelter, ICT, and advocacy work. 
 
¶5. In late 2006 Childline Kenya began offering counseling services 
through a toll-free number provided by parastatal Telkom Kenya. 
From November 2006 to February 2007 it received a total of 2,258 
calls from all over Kenya, an average of 15 calls/day.  However, the 
0800-221-0800 was difficult to remember, and only available via land 
line, not to more numerous cell phone users.  Despite some publicity 
efforts, it was not widely known. 
 
Struggle to Expand Operation 
---------------------------- 
¶6. Throughout 2007, Childline lobbied the ICT regulator 
Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) and major cell phone 
companies Safaricom and Celtel to establish a toll-free emergency 
number for Childline.  It also negotiated terms and conditions for a 
joint operation with the Children's Department in the Ministry of 
Home Affairs.  The Department provided an expanded facility and 
telcom connections for the Childline counselors, and co-located 
several Children's Officers to enable quick action by filed officers 
for referrals.  The CCK authorized the 116 toll-free service in 
December 2007.  To assist Childline, the Embassy nominated the 
Director for an International Visitors Program on NGO management, 
which she found very useful.  The Labor Officer also invited the 
Director to make a presentation to the Donors Working Group on 
Trafficking in Persons and Child Protection Issues. 
 
Finally, the Launch of 116 Service 
---------------------------------- 
¶7. In the deal between the governing Party of National Unity (PNU) 
and the Opposition ODM establishing a coalition government, 
Children's Services was moved from the Ministry of Home Affairs to 
the renamed Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs in early 
April.  116 service and the joint Childline/Children's Services call 
center began operations began in April 2008, but without great 
fanfare while waiting for the Ministry to sort out the 
reorganization.  Finally, on May 31, Minister Esther Murugi 
Mathenge, Permanent Secretary Leah Gwiyo, and Children's Affairs 
Secretary Professor Jacqueline Oduol led a ceremony celebrating the 
official launch of the Child Helpline.  They claimed (incorrectly) 
that this was the first child helpline in Africa and in the world, 
and extolled the progress it marked in the protection of Kenya's 
children. 
 
¶8. Childline officials gave the Labor Officer a tour of the new 
facility and introduced the volunteer counselors, all of whom are 
students or graduates in social sciences or psychology.  The Center 
received 8,000 substantive calls in April and 6,000 in May, so 
demand for assistance is strong, and knowledge of the service is 
getting out to children and others.  Most calls involve domestic 
conflict, custody and maintenance issues, emotional abuse, child 
labor, child prostitution, early or forced marriages, or general 
counseling.  Childline will keep monthly statistics to track the 
 
complaints.  Since demand threatens to overwhelm the current 
facility, Childline's next goal is to open call centers in each of 
the provinces. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶9. Kenya's provision of a toll-free child helpline that allows 
qualified counselors to help children and connect them to service 
providers is a significant step forward in Kenya's fight against 
child abuse, trafficking and labor.  The scarcity of resources 
prevents the service providers from helping all children, especially 
in urgent cases requiring transportation from remote locations. 
However, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is 
working with NGOs, community organizations, and professionals to 
expand the directory of service providers to assist victims.  We 
hope the call center statistics will provide more insight into the 
incidence and geographic concentration of the various forms of child 
abuse. 
 
RANNEBERGER