In 2015 ChildFund Papua New Guinea established the 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain, a helpline that provides support to thousands of people throughout the country
It is Papua New Guinea’s first national telephone service, operating 24 hours a day seven days a week across twenty-two provinces.
The helpline is staffed by trained counsellors that provide information, crisis counselling, safety planning, suicide intervention and referrals for people experiencing gender-based violence or abuse.
1-Tok helps anyone who calls and has access to a network of over 350 service providers across the country that counsellors can refer callers to for a wide variety of support services.
A key part of a counsellor’s job is educating callers about their rights and give them the confidence to report abuse to authorities.
Henry Gorea, Data Management Officer at ChildFund, says they have women calling 1-Tok thinking it is okay for their husbands to hit them and the counsellors educate them on their rights.
Henry Gorea, Data Manager at ChildFund
Calls made to 1-Tok within the Digicel network are free of charge to increase accessibility of the service, especially to women and children.
Kinime Daniel, Manager at 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain, says it is a “critical way of accessing or giving assistance to women and children.”
Kinime Daniel, Manager at 1-Tok Helpline
The 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain is a partnership between ChildFund, Consultative Implementation & Monitoring Council with support from New Zealand and US-AID.
Kinime is grateful for the support and says, “We are very fortunate that New Zealand has come on board to fund this very vital service.”
A short video story about the helpline service is now airing on PasifikaTV.
