ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: In England, a special hotline is reaching out to children in trouble. Since 1986, Childline has offered free confidential advice to those facing abuse at home and at school. Trained counselors also try to prevent troubled children from taking their own lives, but not everyone in Britain likes the hotline idea. Britain's ITN explains.</s>LINDA KENNEDY, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A child line of 500 calls come every year from children who try to kill themselves. A thousand more say that they feel suicidal, and sexual abuse can be so awful that some try to take their life on the phone.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Children are telling us that they feel so badly about themselves, that they are in such pain, and so angry, that they will do things like cutting themselves, taking drugs, putting themselves seriously at risk.</s>KENNEDY: Suicidal calls come from young children, but most at risk are teens. More boys die; more girls attempt suicide more often. LeAnn tried to kill herself, as she fretted over her weight. She became anorexic</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it was a cry for help, more than actual wanting to kill myself. I think I felt so badly inside, and I had nobody to know how bad I was feeling, and showing my body was showing people how bad I felt.</s>KENNEDY: Seeking help maybe is what saves young females; most suicidal callers are girls. (on camera): Counselors here try to figure where a child is and get a ambulance to them, but because it is a confidential service they don't know what happens to many of the children who attempt suicide. The hope is, that by talking about the problem, some of the children are convinced they can carry on. Linda Kennedy, ITN, Childline Headquarters, London.
Britain Sets-Up Child Suicide Hotline