From the 25th of May 2009, in ten Eu Member States (Belgium, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia) it will be easier not only for the parents to signal the missing of a child and for a missing child to find the way towards home but, even for citizens, it will be simpler to provide information about a missing child. The help comes directly from a telephone number: 116.000, a direct line intended for Missing Children.

In Italy the emergency service 116.000 is managed by the PVO Telefono Azzurro whose President – Prof. Ernesto Caffo – is member of the ICMEC managing board, International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.

On the 8th of June 2009 Telefono Azzurro will have carried out 22 years of activity. The PVO was born in Bologna by the realization of a help line intended for children and – in line with the Onu Convention principles on the child rights – it has got some definite purposes like guaranteeing the right to hearing beyond the opportunity to represent a “spokesman”, care of the institutions, for the children’s needs and the potential external dangers which constitute a serious threatening for them and their growth.

The PVO’s mission is to give free vent to children and teenagers by giving them the opportunity to tell their stories and express themsleves without any mediation of adults. As a result of this Telefono Azzurro can listen and comprehend the needs and the problems of the children, understand the reality that surrounds them and bring to light potential traumas or shoks derived from serious situations of abuse and carelessness related to their growth. So, Telefono Azzurro’s experience comes from hearing and his own way of operating has been changing and tries to meet the more and more different children and teenager’s requests of today’s society.

As a consequence of all this, it is important to consider that – during these 22 years of the PVO’s activity – because of the new socio-cultural changes – there have been new projects which have added to the projects related to phone hearing (1.96.96 – the line intended for children and 199.15.15.15 intended for adults/grown-ups and service operators); Infact beyond these, we do not have to forget the “blue roofs” which deal with welcome, diagnosis and daycare for children who are victims of abuse and illtreatement; Then, the Emergency Team which comes in rescue for particular emergency situations which involve teenagers; The childhood emergency line 114 dedicated to manage other emergency situations; Professional training courses for teachers and workshops in classrooms; In addition, the european projects such as the project about the teenagers authors of sexual crimes (Hippokrates) and the safe use of Internet (Safer Internet and Hot 114); Specific training courses intended for psycho and health service operators; and not to forget the unfailing annual date with the National Report on the childhood and boyhood condition that is realized together with Eurispes and the books intended for the Telefono Azzurro parents and children.