AMMAN, Nov 18, 2008 (Jordan Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
It was a gruelling start in life for the little Jordanian girl. With a father who was an addict and a mother who had abandoned her, Zeina was left at the mercy of relatives who beat her and sent her out to the streets to beg for food.

Her nights, too, were spent in misery, sleeping in the stairwell of their building.
However, hope in the form of a helpline, has turned the primary schoolgirl's life around.
Today, counsellors are working with her entire family to change things for the better.
Her Majesty Queen Rania yesterday presented Zeina's story as a potent example of the value of this initiative at Child Helpline International's (CHI) 4th International Consultation Conference, which opened in the capital yesterday.

Addressing more than 170 international child care specialists at the opening session, Queen Rania said countries around the world share a common reality of battling child abuse and ensuring children's safety and protection required concerted efforts.

"With your expertise, we can expand this network, train more counsellors and ensure that no child falls through the cracks and into the shadows," the Queen told the attendees from over 80 countries.

"It has been said that child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime... Today, too many children still live under this shadow, their confidence destroyed, their trust in others fractured and their ability to love compromised. Grown up, they often perpetuate the cycle, abusing their own sons and daughters," the Queen said.

"But we are here to shine a light on that shadow. We are here to break that cycle of sadness, because their hurt is our heartache, their wounds are our scars and their silence is our shame," she added.

CHI's growing network around the world had helped provide girls like Zeina with a way out of misery.

Although her call was just one of hundreds that come through the helpline in Jordan, it was one of 10.5 million calls that come through CHI's global network each year.

According to CHI, these helplines enable children and young people to contact someone in an emergency or non-emergency situation and aim to be accessible around-the-clock, free of cost.

The helplines provide children and young people with the chance to talk about their problems, from school activities and relationships to more serious issues such as suicidal tendencies or sexual abuse. The help-desks provide assistance or directly link the callers to sources that can provide immediate rescue and safety.

CHI Executive Director Nenita La Rose yesterday spoke of the strides taken since CHI's inception to ensure children's voices are heard, noting that 47 helplines are currently in place.

"While some already have helplines in place, others are just getting started... It is important for those with existing helplines to support those interested in setting them up and this venue is one opportunity to do so," she added.

CHI works closely with funding agencies, child-based networks, child protection agencies, corporate federations and telecommunication organisations for the creation of national helplines. It ensures that regional level expertise is utilised and that each country develops its own unique helpline model.

The Jordan River Foundation (JRF), headed by the Queen, partnered with CHI to establish the helpline in the Kingdom. Children in need of guidance or assistance can call 110, which is a toll free number supported by the four telecom carriers in Jordan.

Launched in December 2007, the helpline started out steadily with awareness and outreach activities targeting communities in Mafraq.

JRF Family Support Unit Manager Zeina Abu Innab told The Jordan Times their Mafraq community centre was the starting point for raising the helpline's profile, which extended to schools and health centres in the area.

The helpline today receives around 250 calls on average per month from both children and adults seeking help, support or guidance on different issues, according to Abu Innab.

"Around 40 per cent of the calls are from children, 50 per cent from adults seeking help about a child-related problem, while the remaining 10 per cent are from adults with questions on non-related issues," Abu Innab said.

"Some children might have a personal problem and just want someone to listen to them, while others report abuse or problems at home or in school," she added.

The JRF official said the helplines, which for now provide services 10 hours a day, are manned by a range of specialists in child care and development, psychology and education.

Abu Innab added that the JRF has also partnered with governmental and nongovernmental organisations for providing follow-up support services.

These include the ministries of education and health and the Family Protection Department.
JRF plans on expanding outreach and awareness of the helpline to all schools in Amman, community health centres and NGOs that run programmes for school dropouts.

Queen Rania yesterday said she was "proud that Jordan is the first country outside Europe... the first in the Arab world... to hold a Child Helpline International conference".

She joined young participants from public and private schools at a workshop where they brainstormed techniques to raise awareness and later toured an exhibition hall where they displayed their posters, videos and paintings to highlight the helpline.

The four-day conference, co-hosted by the JRF, will focus on raising funds and awareness, and innovative use of technology, concluding with a presentation from young participants about their experiences.

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