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BNWLA Helpline for Women, Children in Distress

Make it toll-free, nationwide

Shahnaz Parveen
It was about 3 in the afternoon last Sunday. A crowd collecting on a road at Paribagh caught the sight of a newsman who was on the way to his office.
The newsman found two kids Kalam and Shahjahan weeping on the sidewalk while the crowd trying to find the cause of their distress.
As they were sobbing their heart out it appeared from their tale that the two brothers aged around8and lOhadcometovisit their elder sister in Mirpur section 12.
Their visit annoyed the heartless brother-in-law who at a stage beat up his wife for that.
"My sister was seriously hurt and angry at my brother-in-law's behaviour. She gave usTk 50 and told us to go back home (in Bhola) at once," said Kalam, the elder one.
The boys without knowing what to do ended up on the sidewalk crying there for hours.
The newsman picked up the boys and rang up an organisation. It is their sheer luck that the kids landed at the shelter home of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), an NGO, which looked for their legal guardians. Later the boys were returned to their sister.
In another such incident, BNWLA received a phone call from Faridpur on its hotline on January 12, which helped save 12 boys from probable trafficking.
The caller suspecting child trafficking informed the association that a man was travelling with 12 young boys aged between 8 and 12.
On receiving the call, BNWLA officials rushed to Gabtoili bus terminal and confronted the man. The case is still being investigated.
To report incidents like these, the BNWLA, in association with Plan Bangladesh recently set up the hotline to support distressed women and children.
Anyone can call over the hotline set up at Gabtoli bus terminal and ask for help. Phone calls
can be made at 01713335535 to report children and women related incidents that need legal attention, to inform about distressed women and children who need counselling, protection and rescue. The number is open 24 hours a day throughout the year.
On getting a call, officials from the NGO rush to the place, intervene if necessary and follow up the case.
The hotline was set up at Gabtoli Terminal about 5 months ago after the Bus Truck Owners Association provided a small space at their information and complaint booth for the service. A group facilitator is made available by the NGOs to stay at the booth from 9am to 5pm everyday.
The number is yet to be widely publicised for lack of proper campaign. “A single phone call
from a witness or a family member can save many children from being trafficked and rescue battered women and wives," said Advocate Fahmida Akhter of the BNWIA.
"There is a large number of women and children around the country who need help. Legal service is quite complicated in Bangladesh, for which most distressed women and children cannot have easy access," she said.
Akter lamented that a toll-free phone service was planned but it could not be established for lack of support from the government or any private companies.
“A toll free number would definitely attract many callers. The person in need or somebody with information about an incident might not have enough money to make a call. That's why a toll free call is needed." Akter said.
BNWLA has some other helplines to support distressed women and children opened four years ago. The helplines provide services including basic information on women and children related legal issues, aid to families looking for missing persons, information on available law enforcement services in the caller's locality and also legal assistance and shelter if any incident calls for.
These hotline numbers are 01713335991 for any information related to children including brutality against children and runaway kids, 01711800-106 for report on suspected trafficking and 01711800400 for incidents of violence against women.
The association also operates hotline numbers in different districts -- 0171 1800402 for Rajshahi, 0171 1800403 for Khulna, 0171 1800404. for Satkhira, 0171 1800405 for lessore, 0171 1800407 for Lalmonirhat, 01711800408 for Benapole, 017113338486 and 017113338487 for Sylhet.
BNWLA also plan to set up a nation-wide 24-hour help line service. The association's helplines so far received 14,400 calls during the last four years.