{"id":15918,"date":"2025-11-10T14:20:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T14:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=15918"},"modified":"2025-11-10T14:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T14:20:57","slug":"swedish-mps-visit-sauti-116-ugandas-24-7-child-and-women-protection-lifeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/swedish-mps-visit-sauti-116-ugandas-24-7-child-and-women-protection-lifeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Swedish MPs visit SAUTI-116 Uganda\u2019s 24\/7 child and women protection lifeline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Uganda’s Sauti-116 uses MHPSS chatbot & data systems to strengthen child protection & GBV prevention.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special Report <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAUTI-116 stands as a cornerstone of Uganda\u2019s child protection system \u2014 a lifeline for children and survivors of violence, abuse and neglect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSauti\u201d is the brand name of the Uganda Child Helpline (UCHL). It is a Swahili word that means \u201cvoice,\u201d signifying the voice that the service gives to children and women to report cases of abuse and gender-based violence (GBV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call centre operates 24 hours a day across Uganda under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD). It receives support from international partners including the Swedish Government through the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women, and civil society actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A delegation of eight Swedish Members of Parliament representing the eight political parties in Sweden visited the SAUTI-116 call centre on a fact-finding mission to observe how the platform provides a critical tool for child protection, with a focus on prevention and response to violence against children (VAC) and GBV in both humanitarian and development settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MPs included Katrina Tolgfors, Martina Johansson, Magnus Berntsson, Yasmine Eriksson, Joar Forsell, Janine Alm Ericson, Markus Kauppinen and Andreas Lennkvist Manriquez. They were accompanied by two staff members from UNICEF Sweden, Karin Stromstedt and Erik Windmar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the SAUTI-116 offices in Kireka, Wakiso District, the Swedish MPs were welcomed by Uganda Government officials and UNICEF Uganda staff including the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Mr Aggrey David Kibenge; the Assistant Commissioner for Youth and Children’s Affairs, Mr Mondo Kyateka; the Senior Probation and Welfare Officer Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, who is also the National Coordinator of SAUTI-116\/UCHL, Mr John Mugisha; and the Chief, Child Protection UNICEF Uganda, Ms Veronica Avati. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ms Avati, UNICEF is supporting the ministry to finalize a five-year strategy that will guide SAUTI-16\u2019s sustainability and institutionalization. \u201cThis includes strengthening district-level coordination and integrating PSEA and the SAUTI Management Information System (SMIS) into the broader Child Well-being MIS; promoting operational efficiency through innovations such as free outbound calls, data support and solar energy solutions; and enhancing outreach to children with disabilities and other vulnerable groups to ensure accessibility and inclusiveness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Avati stressed that domestic financing and increased budgetary allocation are key for the sustainability of SAUTI-116 services nationwide. \u201cEmbedding SAUTI-116 within the national budget under the Ministry of Finance and MOGLSD will be fundamental to its long-term sustainability,\u201d she emphasised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on behalf of the Swedish MPs, Ms Katarina Tolgfors commended the Government of Uganda for establishing national helplines through which citizens can report cases of child abuse and GBV. \u201cThis is a very good model that you are implementing in Uganda. In Sweden, we are also trying to set up something similar, and we have learnt a lot from our visit to the Sauti-116 call centre,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Sauti-116 operates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Sarah Nahabi, the SAUTI-16 call centre manager, told the visiting Swedish MPs that counsellors working in 24\/7 shifts are always at their workstation by 7 a.m. to receive calls from the public through a toll-free service with the short code 116.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe counsellors, who include social workers and psychologists, receive an average of 1,000 calls per day through the helpline. They are highly trained professionals with the capacity to deal with calls from traumatized victims of child abuse and GBV. The team collectively speaks at least 26 of the 56 local dialects in Uganda,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mr John Mugisha, National Coordinator of SAUTI-116, interacts with Swedish Member of Parliament Katarina Tolgfors (Moderate Party) during the visit to the SAUTI-116 offices in Kireka, Wakiso District<\/strong><\/em>. All pictures by Zahara Abdul\/UNICEF -Uganda <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Mr Mugisha, \u201cUCHL gives confidence to members of the public to report cases of child rights violations and GBV without fear of retribution.\u201d It offers hope to children and women who need help but have no one in their immediate environment to provide it. UCHL does not replace other reporting mechanisms but works alongside them to increase and improve reporting of violations and abuse against children,\u201d Mugisha told the MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the helpline is also expected to strengthen child protection data collection, management and reporting for better programming for children affected by violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. The reported cases are processed and acted upon at the case management centre before referrals are made where necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAUTI-116 Chatbot (“Buddy”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sauti-116 helpline was expanded by launching a chatbot in July 2024 to provide advice and support to adolescents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe chatbot provides a safe and anonymous space for young people to seek information and support on topics such as mental health, puberty, sexual, reproductive health, and child rights. It is accessible at zero cost via SMS\/text to the number 116 or through Telegram, and plans are underway to have it on WhatsApp. It is designed to work on all types of mobile phones, including basic feature phones,\u201d Mugisha explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety Features<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chatbot uses trigger words (e.g., \u201csuicide,\u201d \u201cabuse,\u201d \u201crape\u201d) to immediately connect the user to a professional counsellor at the call centre for urgent intervention. The MHPSS Chatbot Project is a regional initiative supported by UNICEF across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe support and collaboration we have received has enabled us to establish a comprehensive, accessible and child-friendly helpline that provides confidential reporting and support services. This achievement is a testament to what can be accomplished through strong partnerships, shared commitment and a common vision for protecting our children,\u201d Mugisha added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Uganda’s Sauti-116 uses MHPSS chatbot & data systems to strengthen child protection & GBV prevention. Special Report SAUTI-116 stands as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UNI776446.webp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11827,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/sauti-116-bolsters-government-response-to-violence-and-abuse-in-homes-and-communities-in-uganda\/","url_meta":{"origin":15918,"position":0},"title":"Sauti 116 bolsters government response to violence and abuse in homes and communities in Uganda","author":"MOSES SSERWANGA","date":"April 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Sauti-116, a go to support centre for children, women and men experiencing abuse, neglect, exploitation, and gender based under Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social development By Moses Sserwanga At Sauti 116, the counsellors working in 24 hour 7 days a week shifts are always at their workstation by 7\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Special Report"","block_context":{"text":"Special Report","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/special-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/UNI552431-scaled.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/UNI552431-scaled.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/UNI552431-scaled.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/UNI552431-scaled.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/UNI552431-scaled.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13395,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/kiryandongo-refugee-settlement-unicef-lwf-giving-sudanese-refugees-a-new-lease-on-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":15918,"position":1},"title":"Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement: UNICEF, LWF giving Sudanese refugees a new lease on life","author":"MOSES SSERWANGA","date":"December 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to support from UNICEF, LWF and UNHCR in conjunction with OPM, Sudanese nationals fleeing the war in their country are being settled, protected and equipped with survival skills in Uganda By Moses Sserwanga There has been an influx of Sudanese refugees in Uganda following a devastating 19-month war in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Special Report"","block_context":{"text":"Special Report","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/special-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/UNI5528422.JPG.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/UNI5528422.JPG.webp 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/UNI5528422.JPG.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/UNI5528422.JPG.webp 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/UNI5528422.JPG.webp 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10428,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/the-king-and-queen-ride-in-electric-tuk-tuk-as-they-brave-torrential-rain-in-kenya\/","url_meta":{"origin":15918,"position":2},"title":"The King and Queen ride in electric tuk-tuk as they brave torrential rain in Kenya","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The King and Queen squeezed into an electric tuk-tuk as they braved torrential rain to carry out\u00a0their final engagements\u00a0in Mombasa before boarding the plane for home. 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