Effectiveness of 1929 child helpline in managing complaints on child abuse in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: The 1929 toll-free child helpline established by Sri Lanka's National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) under Act No. 50 of 1998 was operational since 2010 and functions as a trilingual, 24-hour service designed to facilitate convenient reporting of child abuse cases by children and the general public, in accordance with NCPA's statutory mandate. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness and impact of the 1929 helpline in responding to child abuse complaints, its accessibility and responsiveness in a child-friendly manner. Method: The study assesses the efficacy of the 1929 toll-free child helpline reporting mechanism through a comprehensive analysis of complaint data collected over a three-year period from 2022 to 2024. The study utilizes secondary data already available within the NCPA database, ensuring national coverage and validity of the information collected under the statutory mandate of the NCPA. The methodology involves examining multiple dimensions of the complaints received, including: Geographical distribution patterns of reported cases across districts, gender-based reporting tendencies, nature of reported offenses and victim age demographics. Results: The total number of child protection complaints reported to the NCPA was 10,497 in 2022, 9,436 in 2023, and 8,192 in 2024. Colombo district consistently recorded the highest number of child protection complaints within the three years of 2022, 2023, and 2024. The age group of 11 to 15 years consistently recorded the highest number of child protection complaints. Further, the highest number of child protection complaints consistently involved female victims. When analyzing complainants' expectations, it is evident that most have already filed a complaint with the police but still approach the NCPA because they expect the NCPA to actively monitor and follow up on the progress of their cases. Complaints have been received in all three official languages and submitted throughout the day. The helpline's capacity to accept anonymous reports has facilitated documentation of numerous previously unreported incidents, effectively addressing a critical gap in the child protection reporting ecosystem. Conclusions: The 1929 toll-free child helpline, established by Sri Lanka's National Child Protection Authority, has proven to be an effective and accessible mechanism for reporting child abuse cases across the country. Operating as a trilingual, 24-hour service, the helpline has facilitated convenient and child-friendly reporting, capturing a wide range of complaints over the three-year period from 2022 to 2024. Overall, the 1929 helpline remains a key pillar in Sri Lanka's child protection framework, supporting timely intervention and safeguarding vulnerable children nationwide.