Child helpline gets 412 calls in 2nd quarter

Muscat, Oct 2 - A total of 412 calls were received on the child protection helpline in the second quarter of this year. Of these calls, 177 were related to abuse, 89 were requests for services for people with disabilities, 146 for enquiries, while the remaining related to begging or family counselling, which were referred to the departments concerned, according to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD). It said that 16 children reported to be abused, including nine boys and seven girls, were accommodated at Dar al Wefaq, a special centre affiliated to the Ministry of Social Development. A total of 300 abused children were rescued by the child protection committees from different governorates. The Evaluation and Rehabilitation Centre received 70 people, including 38 males and 32 females, with mental disabilities for vocational rehabilitation. The centre provides them with vocational training. Al Aman Rehabilitation Centre admitted 378 people (152 males, 98 females), of whom 250 were below 15 years. The number of those older than 15 years reached 128, which include 85 males and 43 females. The centre helps people with mobility/mental disabilities. It offers rehabilitation/therapeutic services such as physical/occupational therapy, speech, life skills, psychological guidance, sports activity, special education and others. A total of 2,562 children (1,486 boys, 1,076 girls) were admitted in 27 Waffa Centres, which care for children with mental, visual, hearing and physical impairment, the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Social Development said. Zainab al Nassri