Albanian National Child Helpline - ALO 116 111

ALO 116-111 - Albanian National Child Helpline is a nationwide free service for all children and youth in Albania, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ALO communicates with children through the following numbers: 116-111 - National Child Helpline in Albania, and 116-000 - National Line for Missing Children in Albania.

ALBANIAN NATIONAL CHILD HELPLINE (ALO 116 111) plays a crucial role in protecting children from violence, exploitation, trafficking, and any form of abuse or mistreatment. For many children, the helpline is the first point of contact for seeking help and support during the most vulnerable moments of their lives, serving as an entry point for cases involving children, adolescents, and youth within the child protection system. The helpline is a place where every child's and young person's right to be heard, to express themselves, to be informed, and to inform about their situation is respected by providing the appropriate service from a professional staff trained in child and youth issues, as well as their rights.

ALO 116-111 provides active listening, counseling, and referral of children's cases within the child protection system or to law enforcement agencies. As a national service, the helpline serves as the primary point of national child protection and is the most recognized public service among children. This service is vital because it is easily accessible, anonymous, and serves as a tool for accurately reporting abuse and violence. It supports victims through counseling and referrals while also identifying gaps in the child protection system.

ALBANIAN NATIONAL CHILD HELPLINE is the first assistance hotline in Albania, utilizing the harmonized numbers of the European Union outside the EU since its establishment in 2009. Throughout its 14 years of operation, over 900,000 children and adolescents have contacted and received the necessary support services from the staff of ALO 116-111. Every call made to the number 116-111 is free of charge, as the cost of the calls is covered by the two major telecommunications companies in Albania, One and Vodafone Albania. Currently, ALO 116-111 is financially supported by the social fund of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection concerning the service's support staff.

In June 2021, ALO 116-111 launched the platform "REPORT NOW!"—the first of its kind online in Albania. This platform enables children to report violations of their rights at any time of the day and from any geographic location within Albania. All children and adolescents in Albania can now report cases of violence, abuse, or bullying against children with just one click from any technological device through the online platform www.alo116.al and the ALO 116-111 mobile application.