The Protection and Social Rehabilitation Center "AMAN", one of the centers of the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, which in turn is affiliated with the Ministry of Social and Family Development, is participating in the tenth international consultative session of the Child Helpline Conference in Stockholm – Sweden, which is held for three days during the current month, in the presence of member states of the International Organization of Child Helplines, a number of officials in the government sector, professionals, jurists and high-level partners in the field of child protection, in addition to members of the advisory councils for the youth and young people.

The agenda for this session is chaired by Ms. Jawaher Al-Kuwari, Assistant Executive Director of AMAN Center, and her accompanying delegation from the center.

This conference aims to discuss and exchange views and experiences learned about the mechanisms of Helplines in the countries of the region and the most important additions and improvements that can be made to these Helplines with the aim of maximizing its benefits, and review the most important problems faced by the Helplines in the countries of the region, especially in the areas of war, conflicts and crises, and the possibility of the countries of the region extending support to the Helplines, given that children are among the most affected by these wars and crises.

This year, the conference will focus on the resilience of children and youth, especially with regard to their mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the consequent measures aimed at preventing this pandemic, such as social distancing, school closures and other basic changes in society and during severe crises such as wars. The focus also includes how Child Helplines can enhance children's resilience, and contribute to providing then with support to improve their social status. In addition, a review of some of best global practices by Child Helplines during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have shown tremendous resilience in facing this crisis and its ability to provide the necessary social protection for children. Specialized workshops will also be held to review global issues that affect the work of child Helplines, including quality, standards, data, technology, research, funding, advocacy and awareness campaigns, in addition to providing support to any country wishing to open a new child helpline, to benefit from countries that have Child Helplines, and to innovative the development of Helplines through exchanging information and experiences among member countries.

In this context, Mrs. Bakhita Al-Ghayathin, Acting Director of the Community Awareness Department at AMAN Center, expressed the need for the center to participate in such conferences in order to benefit from the experiences of other countries and exchange information on issues related to Child Helplines. She also stressed the importance of activating the societal and international partnerships for issues related to the center's target groups of women and children victims of violence and family breakdown.

About Child Helpline International (CHI)

The Child Helpline International is a non-profit organization that was established in 2003 and its headquarter is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The organization enjoys supervisory status in the United Nations, and includes 181 members representing 147 countries, all of which works under the slogan (A Voice for Every Child).