Concerns continue to be raised regarding prank calls that are received through the National Child Helpline.
This comes after it was recorded that out of the 4,000 calls received by the National Child Helpline this year, 2,440 were prank calls while 831 were genuine calls.
Medical Services Pacific Executive Director Jennifer Poole says some prank calls have been re-catergorised as genuine calls after counsellors are able to gain the caller’s confidence to speak about issues they want to address.
She has also highlighted the main issues reported through the Helpline includes child neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, gender based violence and issues concerning family welfare.
When questioned by Fijivillage News on what is done to help those genuine callers, the Ministry for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation stated that they have provided counseling for many of the genuine callers and these cases have been dealt with by relevant service providers.
The Ministry of Women and Children has also revealed since the launching of the Child Helpline in 2016 there have been a total of 40,000 calls to date.
The National Child Helpline toll free number 1325 is in operation 24/7 with nine counsellors on shift work to man the line.
