Toll free hotline

It's difficult to find the courage to make this phone call. What if it doesn't work? What if I get caught? 

The person who answers this child's call must get it right the first time because we may not get another chance. The person who answers this phone call, that took so much courage to dial, must be able to listen, to answer, and to help. This is why ELI has a toll free hotline.

ELI maintains the only toll free hotline in Israel dedicated specifically to the issue of child abuse. Staffed by 40 volunteers and in three languages, Hebrew, Russian, and Arabic, the hotline is ELI’s point of entry for many of its clients. Last year the hotline fielded nearly 7,000 calls from abused children themselves, and from concerned friends and family members. 

In addition, this hotline is unique in that approximately 20% of calls come from perpetrators themselves. ELI is nationally recognized in Israel as the “central address” for treatment of child abuse, and frequently, abusive parents call because of their own guilt over what they have done, or their fear about what they might do if they don't get help. 

The volunteers who staff the hotline each attend an intensive three-month training course before they are allowed to field their first call, and there is always a professional social worker present in ELI's call center.