Today (December 26th) will be one of busiest days of the year for Childline with data showing a 20% increase in contacts made to Ireland’s only 24-hour listening service for children and young people
Dublin, December 26th, 2023 – Childline, today (St. Stephen’s Day 2023), reveals that 1097 children and young people contacted Ireland’s only 24-hour listening service during Christmas*, representing an almost 20% increase in connections made this year compared with Christmas 2022. The heartbreaking data complied over a three-day Christmas period (December 23rd, 24th and 25th) shows that: Many children did not have Christmas at all this year.
Children and young people are contacting Childline to talk about:
* Neglect
* Bereavement
* Emotional health
* Loneliness
Not every child or young person has the Christmas that they dream of and deserve. For too many, Christmas Day was just another day, nothing special, the same as any other.
Data reveals that today, December 26th, will be one of the busiest days of the year for the staff and volunteers at Childline, as it is expected that over 400 children and young people will reach out to Ireland’s only 24/7/365-days-a-year listening service because of something that has happened to them over Christmas.
ISPCC Chief Executive John Church said: “For too many children and young people, Christmas is sadly just another day. For some, the issues they encounter all year can worsen. It can mean abuse, neglect and loneliness. For others, Christmas can present new worries and concerns. Whatever the reason, they turn to Childline for support and for someone to listen. We are so thankful to all our volunteers who gave their time and continue to do so across the festive period; they leave their own families at Christmas to ensure there is always someone on the other end of the line when a child or young person needs them.”
To support Childline and help keep volunteers listening to children and young people 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in 2024, please support the Childline Christmas appeal and visit https://donate.ispcc.ie/
*Christmas statistics refer to December 23, December 24 and December 25