Corp launches tele-counselling for kids

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Increasing cases of suicide among children and adolescents have become a serious social problem amid the lockdown. Given the situation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the launch of ‘Chiri’, a tele-consultation facility for children who are stressed. He had also cautioned parents against hurting their sentiments, especially during the lockdown period when they are confined to their homes and have no peers or teachers around to share their problems.

To address their problems, the city corporation has also undertaken the ‘Chiri’ project and will be providing counselling through video calls. The programme is being implemented in association with Swasthi Foundation, a city-based NGO and the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Thiruvananthapuram.

“Incidences of suicidal tendencies among children and adolescents have been increasing due to several reasons such as parents scolding them for using mobile phones or even the lack of facilities at home to attend online classes. This needs to be addressed at the earliest. So, we thought of starting a video call facility to address the woes of the children and provide them with necessary assistance,” said Mayor K Sreekumar.

Sreekumar added that early intervention is necessary to avoid such incidents from occurring. “As schools are yet to re-open, children do not have friends or teachers with whom they can share their problems. So, parents must pay attention to their wards and support them both emotionally and mentally,” he said.The counselling sessions will be conducted by the Department of Psychology, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, under the guidance of Dr Arun B Nair, Dr G Mohan Roy and Dr Kiran Kumar. Those who wish to register can contact 8590036770 or send a WhatsApp message.