For children in need, the 1098 Child Helpline is a free, round-the-clock resource that offers help and direction. But a guardian's recent negative experience emphasizes the necessity of accountability in the helpline's functioning.
Horrible Experience of A Guardian after Calling 1098 -
We are going to share a true story of one of our friends/colleagues who contacted 1098 last month and had a terrible experience. My friend is stationed in Katihar, Bihar, where he resides with his two nephews, Ram, 16, and Shyam, 11. Regretfully, Shyam's father passed away during COVID-19. The two children travelled to their hometown of Madhubani, Bihar, to take an exam. These teenagers were also returning to Katihar via train following their exam. In order to go to Katihar, they were meant to change trains in Saharsa.
Due to a bustle, the two kids were separated at Saharsa Railway Station and were searching for one another. The older boy called his uncle and told him about Shyam's disappearance as he was searching for the other youngster out of fear. My friend dialled 1098 for assistance since he was very agitated. It took almost thirty minutes for the 1098 to record the complaints after a laborious verification process. At the Saharsa Railway Station, Ram, the older child, discovered Shyam shortly after the complaints were successfully registered. As this was going on, a call from the Saharsa Childline team in my friend's mobile asked them to temporarily turn over both of the children so that the records could be kept up to date.
The worst thing that Saharsa Child Helpline did for my friend was that they nearly kidnapped the younger child and took him away. My friend had to get in reach on Saharsa, and he made several requests, pleading for them to grant my nephew. You did nothing; my older nephew has located the younger nephew; now, let's head to Katihar. However, none of the Child Helpline staff paid attention. He also requested to 1098 Customer Executive about this incident but he got nothing but harassment for the children and their full family. After 15 days and millions of verifications, the child was given back to Shyam's mother but not to the uncle of Shyam who is the guardian to them.
Plenty of questions about the 1098 Child Helpline System come up -
If the kid was not searched, why was the child taken by the Saharsa Childline Team?
Why wasn't the child given to the guardian who requested assistance by calling 1098?
Why was the child unjustly held in a child home for fifteen days? and finally given to the single mother who was already experiencing a lot of anxiety but not to the guardian?
Need for accountability -
The guardian's negative encounter with the 1098 Child Helpline emphasizes the necessity of operational responsibility for the helpline. As a public service, the hotline is supported by tax dollars. Because of this, it's critical that the public be kept informed and that the helpline's performance be routinely assessed. Several measures are available in the 1098 Child Helpline to guarantee accountability. Forming a citizen monitoring committee is one approach. Public members would comprise the committee, which would be in charge of evaluating the helpline's operations and offering suggestions for enhancements.
To guarantee accountability, it might also be necessary to mandate that the hotline release performance reports on a regular basis. These reports would display the volume of calls received by the helpline, the average response time, and the percentage of calls that are successfully addressed. Lastly, it's critical to confirm that the helpline has an understandable and open complaints process. If customers are dissatisfied with the service they receive, they should be able to simply file a complaint and have faith that it will be looked at in great detail.
