Press Statement 1 February 2012: For Immediate Release.

Senator van Turnhout welcomes allocation of 116 000 Missing Children Hotline to ISPCC I am heartened by the announcement by Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs that the 116 000 Missing Children Hotline has today, 1 February, being allocated to the ISPCC. On 12 October 2011 I led a motion in the Seanad, which received support from all parties and groups, pressing the Government for clarification as to why the Irish 116 000 Hotline had not yet been made operational. In my intervention I cited the value of the harmonised European 116 000 number, particularly in the context of increasing cases of cross border child disappearances, as exemplified by a recent crossborder parental abduction case; In Belgium, a father took his daughters aged seven, ten and fourteen, and hid them for nine and a half months, in very poor and dangerous conditions. In September 2008, following a request from the Belgian and Portuguese 116000 Missing Children Hotlines, the evening news on Portuguese Television opened with an appeal for information about these missing children and concluded by showing 116 000 Missing Children Hotline number on screen. Minutes after the broadcast, the case was resolved. This just shows the real and urgent need to establish a systematic exchange of information, standardised operational procedures and increased cross-border cooperation to resolve crossborder cases of missing children in the EU. I welcome the decision to assign the number to the ISPCC, which has a long and proud history of service delivery and advocacy on behalf of children in Ireland. Indeed the ISPCC is the only organisation in Ireland currently providing a 24 hour support service to children and young people through its Childline service, which is also the Irish service provider for the harmonised European child helpline. The next step for the Project Team established by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is to engage effectively with the ISPCC to ensure that the Missing Children Hotline secures the necessary resources to be operational as soon as possible. -EndsFor more information, please contact: Senator Jillian van Turnhout Leader of the Independent Group (Taoiseach Nominees) Phone: 01-6183375 e-mail: jillian.vanturnhout@oireachtas.ie Notes to editor: y The motion was presented to the Seanad on 12 October 2011. y On the 15th of February 2007, the European Commission reserved the 116 000 phone number in all EU member states as a common number for emergency action whenever a child goes missing. y General information on the 116 000 Missing Children Hotline can be found at: http://www.hotline116000.eu/