About the Project

About the project: 

Together with partners, SDF is committed to ensuring women and children have access to support, healthcare, psychosocial services, legal aid, and safe spaces through this project. 

Helplines operationalize the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children. This project aligns intra-country mechanisms to unify Member States’ efforts in preventing and combating trafficking. The outcomes contribute to achieving SDGs, particularly SDG 4 (pro-poor growth), SDG 6 (reducing vulnerabilities of the poor, women, and children), and SDG 7 (access to affordable justice), as well as the MDGs and poverty reduction strategies.

Progress for women and children is crucial for preventing state fragility and ensuring long-term sustainable development, social cohesion, stability, and security at national and regional levels.

For example, the Child Helpline and Women’s Helpline in most of the member states were set up with funding from SAARC Development Fund to address complaints regarding all forms of discrimination and abuse against women and children, through referrals to legal, counselling, and access to shelter facilities.

In Sri Lanka, for example, the 1938 helpline initially worked only eight hours per day. However, COVID-19 worsened the situation. According to reports, women and children are more likely to experience violence within the four walls of their homes due to movement restrictions imposed during lockdowns. This was evident from the rising numbers. The complaints received by the helpline significantly increased following the Covid-19-related lockdowns and restrictions. The recorded cases on the 1938 hotline increased to 3,771 in 2020 from just 1,806 in 2019 and 1,337 in 2018. Similarly, the 1929 child helpline also saw a drastic increase in the number of cases.

 “With the financial and technical assistance from SAARC Development Fund, we were able to expand the helpline to 24/7,” said the Director at the Ministry of Women and Child Department in Sri Lanka, Ms. Iresha N Dharmasena. The helpline is a national 24/7 free phone service to women and children in need of care and protection. “In April 2020 alone, about 460 complaints of violence were lodged at the 1939 helpline.”

Project Period: 3 years

Approved Budget: US $ 4,000,000.00

Status: Ongoing 

Participating Countries

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Beneficiary

Children and women of SAARC Member Countries

Project Objectives

• To provide emergency outreach services to women and children in need of care and protection through 24-hour emergency phone outreach service. 
• To guide the women and children and other stakeholders in the time of crisis where they are currently inaccessible, inadequate or non-existent. 
• To provide a platform of networking amongst organizations and to provide linkages to support systems which facilitate the rehabilitation of women and children in need of care and protection. 
• To link women and children in need of care and protection to long term services for rehabilitation.
• To build capacity of individuals, institutions and systems to achieve promotion and protection of rights of vulnerable women and children. 

Expected Outcome(s)/benefits

• Toll Free Helpline setup/strengthen and fully functional. 
• Increased accessibility for women and children and other stakeholders to Helpline and referral services. 
• Referral and coordination mechanism set up to provide services to women and children in need.
• Women and Children successfully rehabilitated and re-integrated into the society.
• Strengthened capacity of relevant stakeholders to identify and respond to needs of women and children in difficult circumstances. 
• More follow up of the news and reports of violence against women and children and mass people aware the helpline number. 
• Reduce the incidences of violence against women and children in SAARC Member State.