The 4th African Regional Child helpline Conference was held at Safari Court Hotel in Windhoek Namibia from June 18th – 20th, 2008. The regional consultative meeting is an annual activity of Child helpline International. It offers a venue where existing child helplines, as well as countries planning to start helplines in Africa meet to exchange and share ideas that are in the best interests to child helplines and those issues that affect their work.

It was attended by representatives from child helplines, donors, government ministries and autonomous institutions and developing partners.  A total of 56 participants, majority from child related CSOs from  African Countries; DCR, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Togo, Tanzania, South Africa, Senegal, Zimbabwe and Uganda attended the conference.

The number has been approved by the International Telecommunications Union and recognized as the short code number for the child helpline globally. UCRNN is in the process of lobbying the government to provide a similar number for the child helpline in Uganda which is currently using a 10 digit number 0800111222 and 0800111333

Bangkok, Thailand - Children and adolescents around the globe are working together with ECPAT International to put an end to the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the lead up to the World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents to be held 25-28 November, 2008 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Through representation in the Organizing Committee of the Congress and their participation in regional meetings in East Asia/Pacific, South Asia, Latin America and Africa to take place this month, children and adolescents between 12-18 years of age will help identify and find solutions to new dimensions of child trafficking, prostitution, pornography, and abuse in travel and tourism that are important in their region. These issues will be brought forward to the World Congress III.

Around 300 children and adolescents will participate in theWorld Congress III, with around 150 young participants coming from Brazil and around 150 young participants coming from other countries and regions of the world. The youth participants include those who are at-risk or are survivors of sexual exploitation that are now directly involved in stopping this problem, through their networks, shelters, schools and communities, as well as other children and adolescents actively involved in child rights work linked to initiatives for protection against sexual exploitation.

‘Now is the time to get involved to make sure governments and policymakers listen to the experiences of young people, and to promote the importance of working together with children and youth to find sustainable solutions for ending sexual exploitation,’ said Lotta Segerström, youth representative on the board of ECPAT International.