FOR four decades, through changing times, technology and generations, one thing has remained at the heart of Childline KwaZulu-Natal’s work - listening to children.
What started as a telephone service for children who had nowhere safe to turn grew into a comprehensive child-protection organisation offering counselling, other therapeutic interventions, advocacy and a 24-hour crisis helpline.
Childline KZN celebrates its 40th anniversary, and director Adeshini Naicker said the organisation's relevance still remained.
This non-profit organisation’s journey began in 1986 through the South African Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect after paediatric staff at Addington Hospital saw an increase in children presenting with non-accidental injuries and signs of abuse.
“What became particularly concerning was that children were telling professionals that they had no safe or accessible way to report what was happening to them. That led to the idea of creating a telephone service where children could reach someone, talk about what was happening and get help,” said Naicker.
She said at the time, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect and violence were rife.
“Forty years ago, many of these issues were not spoken about openly. Children were often expected to remain silent, and abuse was frequently treated as a private family matter. So Childline created a space where children could speak.”
Before technology advancements and social media transformed communication, the telephone was a child's lifeline.
“Back then, a child had to physically find a telephone and make that call. Our staff had to listen carefully, assess the situation, and connect the child with the appropriate support.
“In many ways, the technology was simpler, but the human connection was incredibly important. A child knew there was a person on the other side of the telephone who was prepared to listen.
“The organisation's original vision was simple: to give children a voice and provide them with somewhere safe to turn. That vision has not changed. What has changed is the way we deliver it. Today, we have moved from simply responding to abuse to also trying to prevent it and to help children and families heal.”
Due to child protection requiring collaboration, Childline worked with social workers, police, government departments, healthcare professionals and community organisations. Each organisation had a different role, but the same responsibility - to put a child’s safety and best interests first.”
Naicker said they visit schools to teach children about their rights, recognise unsafe situations, and encourage them to speak out, to prevent and stop any further abuse they may have endured.
The organisation's longevity and the trust built around the Childline name remain some of their proud achievements.
Naicker said it has been a remarkable journey, growing from a telephone service to providing a broader range of services, as well as introducing and strengthening '116’, the new and easy-to-remember helpline number.
“This is a regional helpline number used across Africa and connects Childline KZN to the wider, international child helpline network.”
Another milestone was the expansion of Childline into other provinces, based on the need. Childline South Africa was established in 2003 and extended into Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and other provinces.
“By 2003, it was clear that a national coordinating and representative structure was needed, and Childline South Africa was established in August that year. The organisation grew organically from a response to a real need in KZN into a national movement focused on protecting children and promoting their rights,” she said.
Regardless of the developments in their operations, Naicker said concerted efforts in the fight against child abuse were constantly required, as they dealt with tens of thousands of calls annually from children and families requiring their services.
“The core issues faced by children in the 1980s and 1990s have not disappeared. Children are still experiencing abuse, neglect and violence. What has changed is the environment in which they are growing up.
“Technology has created new risks. Children can now be targeted by strangers online, exposed to harmful content, bullied through social media and manipulated without leaving their homes.
“We are also seeing the impact of poverty, substance abuse, family instability and community violence.”
However, the organisation's interventions led to improvements.
“Children who were initially unable to speak about what happened to them began to regain their confidence through counselling, therapy and having someone believe and listen to them. Sometimes the biggest change is not dramatic. It is seeing a withdrawn child smile again, return to school, start trusting adults, or finally understand that what happened to them was not their fault. Those are the moments that remind our staff why this work matters.”
Naicker said there needed to be stronger implementation of policies and legislation designed to protect children, as sometimes the systems around those laws do not work as effectively as they should.
“Children can wait too long for services, investigations can take too long, and families can struggle to navigate the system.”
She noticed changes in mindsets in society, with more people willing to report abuse and greater awareness of children’s rights.
“But we still have a long way to go because silence remains one of the biggest protections for an abuser. Everyone has a responsibility. Families must create safe and supportive homes. Schools must make children feel safe enough to report concerns, and communities must stop protecting perpetrators because of relationships or fear.
“The government also has a responsibility to ensure that the systems, resources and services required to protect children are actually available.
“There is an African proverb that I often quote: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. After 40 years, we know that it takes that same village to protect a child.”
But an ongoing challenge, she said, was sustainability and funding. They were constantly required to balance increasing demand with limited resources.
She said, reaching 40 years represented generations of people who have dedicated their careers and their lives to children, and it represented 40 years of children who found someone willing to listen.
“For me, it is both a celebration and a reminder of the responsibility we carry going forward. We have faced difficult financial periods, yet Childline KZN continues to answer the call.”
For the organisation to remain relevant, Naicker said it was vital to strengthen the helpline, expand access to therapeutic services, and invest in prevention.
Her message to children: Your voice matters.
“If something doesn’t feel right, speak to someone. If you are being hurt, it is not your fault. If you see another child being hurt, don’t stay silent.
“To adults: listen to children, believe them and protect them. Forty years ago, Childline was created because children needed someone to listen. Forty years later, that need is still there.
Keaoleboga Maroping, a psychologist who works with the organisation, said organisations such as Childline and child welfare societies provide children with safe spaces where they could disclose abuse, be heard without judgement and receive appropriate psychological and social support.
“Ultimately, protecting children is not only about responding to harm, but it is also about creating environments in which children feel safe, believed, valued and able to develop to their full potential,” said Maroping.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, a gala dinner will be held at Coastlands uMhlanga on October 24. For enquiries, email [email protected] or call 031 312 0904.