Since the start of confinement, the “Hello child in danger” telephone line at 119 has received 20% more calls. Calls to 119 considered urgent have even increased by 60%, according to data from a comparison between the first three weeks of confinement (from March 18 to April 6) and an equivalent period in February (from February 12 to March 2 ), according to Adrien Taquet, the Secretary of State for Child Protection.
The increase in reports is especially noticeable from the second week of confinement (+ 15% compared to the first) and even more from the third (+ 53% compared to the first).
An increase that coincides with the ramp-up of information campaigns launched in late March via social networks, radio and television, to encourage victims and possible witnesses to come forward.
A third of the calls come from the victims themselves
"There was no reason why these figures should not change because we know that confinement is more conducive to violence," said the secretary of state, adding: "We could however have feared that the period would also be less conducive to reporting problematic situations, firstly because child victims are confined with abusive parents, secondly because teachers or other sports coaches are no longer in a position to sound the alarm. "
In detail, the number of calls to 119 from minors wanting to alert to their own danger situation increased by 34%. There are also 36% more calls from “comrades” of abused children (probably informed because the children communicate with each other during confinement by SMS and via social networks) and 30% more from neighbors.
"It means that all the messages that we are trying to relay on the need to be attentive to the cries that we hear on the other side of the wall, all of this is probably starting to bear fruit," he continued. .
New awareness campaign
Since last week, the 119 telephone line has been doubled by a service for reporting violence in writing on the Internet. This device, intended for victims who could not isolate themselves to call for help, was used 130 times in less than a week. Twenty-six files were reported. In addition, four children reported violence by text message (to the emergency number 114) and two of these cases gave rise to urgent intervention.
In addition, under the slogan "#EntendonsLeursCris", Unicef France and the feminist collective NousToutes launched an information and awareness campaign on Wednesday, in particular on the Internet, to publicize the number 119 and encourage victims to call 'help.
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"More than 50,000 children and adolescents are victims of physical, sexual and psychological violence every day, locked up behind closed doors with their torturers", according to the organizers of this campaign.
