UPDATE: Centurion helpline for kids launched
“The first message was received on Wednesday at 14:45 and police were in contact with the caregivers of the children that needed assistance just three minutes later.”
A helpline for vulnerable children in Centurion was officially launched at Southdowns shopping centre on Tuesday morning.
The Centurion Child Protection Hotline, which will help children and their parents contact the authorities swiftly, is 071-192-0569.
Both parents and children were urged to save the number to their phones.
The Hotline was launched by Toys for Africa together with authorities including the police and security companies.
Toys for Africa founder Danie van Loggerenberg said the helpline would give children and parents a focus in an emergency.
He said it was only accessible by SMS and WhatsApp “for now”.
“You will not be able to send a blank message but you can send a full stop ‘.’ and your details will be passed to the authorities,” he said.
READ MORE: UPDATE: New Centurion helpline for kids in need coming soon
“Ideally, this would only be an option for emergencies such as when an intruder is in your home.”
Van Loggerenberg urged anyone who is being bullied to send the word ‘help’.
“This will prompt the system to forward a few questions to you including requesting your name and surname as well as your address and what kind of assistance you need.
“You can also send your location via WhatsApp.”
The helpline has already proved its worth, according to Van Loggerenberg.
“The first message was received on Wednesday at 14:45 and police were in contact with the caregivers of the children that needed assistance just three minutes later.”
The helpline will also put children into contact with a number of services including emergency services, schools, social workers from all the relevant organisations and will later also include doctors and psychologists.
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