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[6 May 2008] - The Maseru Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Lesotho has launched a Child Helpline to help curb child abuse. The facility, to be housed at Lesotho Save the Children, would enable children to report all forms of abuse and encourage them to voice concerns. Mphu Ramatlapeng, Minister in the Basotho Ministry, said the Child Helpline would help assist vulnerable children. She said children and young girls are confronted with abuse, mainly perpetrated by either parents or guardians, and that in most cases perpetrators get away with it. "Although Lesotho had signed and ratified international conventions on the rights of the child, children continue to fall victim to violence," Ms Ramatlapeng said. UNICEF representative Aichatou Diawara-Flambert said violence against children is still regarded as taboo in many societies. She said data from the Child and Gender and Protection Unit suggests high rates of sexual violence, especially among children and young girls. "Unfortunately it is also evident that service providers are not well equipped with the skills to identify and recognise symptoms of children who have been violated," she added. She urged all stakeholders to take collective responsibility to ensure the protection of children. "In the midst of challenges, there is hope looming for thousand of children that are currently hidden in the shadows of violence," she added. Ms Diawara-Flambert said the facility would put children's needs first. "Child Helpline is an outstanding example of the benefits of modern communication tools in helping children and young people to access the information they need," she added. Lipalesa Mpemi, children's representative, said the helpline was long overdue, adding it would promote a culture of respect as children's grievances would now be addressed by trained personnel. She said children have been crying out for help, with their calls unanswered, and hoped the helpline would reverse the trend. "Help is now a phone call away, therefore children should take full advantage of the helpline and use it wisely," she said. Success dependent on communications infrastructure The World Summit on the Information Society held in Tunis 2005, highlighted the challenges of digital divide between the developing and developed countries. "The summit signified the beginning of an implementation process aimed at transforming ideas into concrete actions," said an official of the telecommunications authority, Monehela Phosholi, who added that, the success of the child Helpline would depend on the availability of a good communications infrastructure in all corners of the country. Children at a nearby Sefika High School said the facility would give a voice to the voiceless. They said that, with the facility in place, children who were victims of violence would get proper counselling from well-trained personnel. Although issues around sex and sexuality in families are still taboo, at least among a larger traditional Lesotho population, it is believed that the facility would act as a link between children and parents. Lesotho has a high number of children categorised as vulnerable, with a national registry of 180 000 orphans, mainly due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The country has a prevalence of HIV and AIDS estimated at 23.2 per cent.