Children's Hotline & Rescue Service
In China, so many people are leaving their rural homes to find employment in congested urban areas that they have generated a huge concentration of poor, transient workers known as China's "floating population." This population is well-known for its link to poverty, crime, drug use, prostitution and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Children among this population are at extreme risk for drug use, sexual exploitation, child labor, illiteracy, extreme poverty and other conditions that cause children to lose hope.
To help restore hope among children and youth caught in Beijing's floating population, GCI is creating a Children's Hotline & Rescue Service. A toll-free, 24-hour telephone hotline allows all young people to call for counseling anytime. Children and youth who call are offered an opportunity to be safely rescued from their high-risk environments and transported to safe locations.
After they are rescued, the children and youth are placed in the homes of approved care providers. The program secures permanent living arrangements so every "GCI kid" can live under the guidance and protection of caring adults. Once children and youth are safely relocated, GCI monitors their situation to assure their continued safety and well-being. This long-term follow-up allows GCI to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and helps us identify emerging needs of children in the floating population.
In the first few months of our initial operation, we have rescued 21 girls (age 9-17) and seven boys (age 8-11) from the sex trade. We have helped 16 children find adoptive homes. And we have identified 503 families who have agreed to be short-term hosts.
Our goal is to provide rescued children to each of these families.