119, the emergency telephone number for child abuse cases

The Special Telecommunications Service (STS) has operationalized the unique national number 119 for reporting cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation and any other form of violence against children, under the government’s “Caring for Children” program. The 119 number is free from any fixed or mobile network and will be operated by the counselors of the social assistance and child protection departments.

In order to be able to report cases whose victims are children, STS has configured, tested and implemented the call-center technical solution in the 41 counties of the country, as well as in the sectors of Bucharest. The STS engineers installed in the 47 headquarters of the directorates of social assistance and child protection in the country a number of 94 telephone stations, arranged in two in each call center.

Starting January 5, the calls that signal different situations that affect children will be able to be taken, 24 hours a day, by counselors specialized in social assistance and child protection. In the case of situations announced by 119, but for which the immediate intervention of the Police or medical crews is necessary, the operators of the social assistance and child protection departments will alert the Emergency Service 112. Also, according to this program, when there are cases of missing children, Police may use the RO-ALERT Warning System, technically administered by STS.

Who can call 119 to report a child abuse? The child himself/herself, if feeling he/she is abused, traumatized neglected or victim of violence of any type: physical, emotional, mental, but also other person can call, a friend, colleague, relative, neighbour or teacher.