Help is out there for abused children

Help is out there for abused children

Children experiencing abuse in New Zealand are turning to helplines for support.

During 2006, national helpline 0800WHATSUP answered 259 calls from children and young people concerned about abuse. It has dealt with 2,026 of these calls since the freephone opened in September 2001.

The kinds of abuse reported include emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Young people who have abused other children or young people also call seeking help to stop their behaviour. Sexual and physical abuse are the most common types of abuse reported.

“Children who are being abused are in a particularly vulnerable situation,” said 0800WHATSUP Executive Director Grant Taylor.

“The adults who are most important in their lives are hurting them. Child helplines offer an important means for them to easily access help from someone they can trust and who will take responsibility for procuring their safety”, he added.

The *2006 United Nations World Report On Violence Against Children specifically recommended that states should support “… helplines through which children can report violence, speak to a trained counsellor in confidence and ask for support and advice . . .” (Pinheiro, 2006).

ENDS

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