Print
E-mail
CHILDLINE is unable to answer one third of more than 15,000 calls it receives each week because of a lack of resources.
The charity's manager Margie Rowe said that the downturn in the economy was also having an impact on children, and many callers were upset by the impact the recession was having on their families. "We are dealing with a record number of calls at the moment. Some weeks, 16,000 calls are made to Childline. We are answering 64% of calls at the moment," she told the Sunday Tribune. "There are more issues of violence against children because of stress and anxiety among adults over the recession. Kids ring us with a whole range of problems, from bullying to violence to abuse, suicide and everything in between. Sometimes they just want someone to talk to. We're an entirely confidential service."
Childline has 4,000 trained volunteers working for the charity. "In 2008, we were receiving 13,000 calls a week so there has been a massive jump. Our online service is also very popular with children," she said. Childline does not receive any government funding and is the only 24-hour service for children in need, aside from the gardaí.
One Child International, a US-based child-protection group, visited Ireland two weeks ago and requested that the government distribute free leaflets on child abuse to every household. Evin Daly, Irishman and founder of the Florida-based charity, said adults needed to be made aware of the warning signs in order to protect kids from all physical, mental and sexual abuse. "We wouldn't be making a profit out of this. It would only cost the government a couple of million euro," he said.
del.icio.us
digg
Facebook
Google
Interesting it is that the Irish government has conveniently forgotten about the plight of our children. They commission a report from one of their favourites, pay a generous (outrageous) fee to find out what we already know and they quietly put the matter aside as being some that's 'been taken care of. We don't need to speak of it again.' Really, I'm tired of all of this. Tens of billions squandered on banks and Irish elite bailout, nothing spent to protect our children. We need to take to the streets people, like the French, and show this government that children are THE most important part of our lives, society and culture. And if we don't, we are all as guilty as they. Once again the people - Barnardos, the ISPCC, One CHild Int's - are doing what our government should be.