A Landmark Gathering: Reflections on the 11th International Consultation of Child Helplines (IC 2025)
The 11th International Consultation of Child Helplines (IC 2025) has finally come to a close – and what a wonderful, inspirational and truly motivational experience it has been! I was delighted to see so many members and partners join us in person in Livingstone, Zambia; and I know that many more who, for various reasons, were not able to come were nevertheless with us in spirit.
The IC 2025 was a fulfilling time together with all of our members and partners, old and new. It was action packed and energizing. There were tears, but they were tears of joy. There was just so much to share!
Central to our meeting in Livingstone were the themes that we know are important. These themes – prioritizing children’s mental health and wellbeing, combatting violence against children, and addressing online harms – were chosen because these are the areas where we need to focus our energy, and this is evidenced by the data collected from our child helpline members.
As we always say: Every child and young person has a voice, and they have the right to be heard. At the IC 2025 we showed that child helplines have an important voice, too, and we were able to shout loudly and proudly about the work that we are doing; work that is changing outcomes for children and young people everywhere, one child at a time.
Or almost everywhere… Regardless of the channel and the context, we still need more children and young people to be able to access the help they can receive from child helplines. At present, children and young people do not have access to a national child helpline service in more than 40 countries around the world. We are committed to working with our partners to fill these gaps by starting up child helplines services.
Two weeks have already passed since we kicked off our incredible meeting. We’re now also several months on from the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Bogota. We only have another five years until the culmination of global efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030. There is so much to do, and we face an avalanche of priorities: war rages across many countries, systems are falling into disarray, and the means to continue the vital work of strengthening and building child helplines is threatened in ways we did not imagine.
So, we have to focus. We have to keep our eyes on our key strengths. We are one of the largest networks focused on child protection and responding to children and young people in need. We are the only global network of child helplines, and that makes us unique.
Our 11th International Consultation of Child Helplines concluded with the signing of “The Livingstone Declaration“. Building upon commitments, pledges and undertakings outlined in previous International and Regional Consultations, it is a statement by our child helpline members of their commitments towards strengthening and expanding child helpline services globally, and their calls for action by governments and policymakers, international organizations and donors, civil society and community leaders, and the technology and telecommunications sectors, to support child helplines and scale up efforts to eliminate harmful practices against children.
Our Livingstone Declaration is a comprehensive, powerful statement covering the key advocacy messages of Child Helpline International and our members, with the central message that it is our ambition to see a national child helpline in place in every country by the year 2030. Highlights of the Declaration include our commitments to universal access to child helplines, prioritizing mental health and wellbeing, combatting violence against children and addressing online harms.
But the Livingstone Declaration is not merely a statement — it’s a roadmap. As Child Helpline International and our members move forward, the commitments that we made in Livingstone will guide our collective efforts to ensure that no child is left unheard.
Executive Director, Interim