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Original poster

Inappropriate callers on pregnancy/birth or breastfeeding helplines

43 replies

Goannaforanna · 27/12/2024 10:28

The conversation about La Leche League and trans women wanting to breastfeed has brought to my mind something I heard years ago about men calling pregnancy and breastfeeding helplines and being creepy. Is there anyone here who has had that experience? I wondered how orgs like LLL are dealing with that now?

OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 27/12/2024 18:19

WarriorN · 27/12/2024 16:40

I know a couple of the lll leaders who've been trying to fight this rubbish. Over a decade ago when I was in a local LLL group that had an extremely supportive Facebook group, I know that the leaders regularly had to deny creepy men access to the group.

It was a very well known issue

Hmmm. I wonder if it still is, and how they deal with it.

MrsOvertonsWindow · 27/12/2024 17:45

MimiGC · 27/12/2024 14:38

Definitely used to get men abusing rape crisis lines and that was back in the 80s.

Yes. Me too. We only had the lines open for limited hours per week and then these creeps would ring. Fortunately we were a women only service so they got hung up on very quickly.

HobnobsChoice · 27/12/2024 16:45

Yup. Used to work on a Macmillan Helpline and we'd have a regular caller who would ring up as ask about our tights and underwear. As soon as you hung up he'd ring back to try to speak to another women. The managers would take all of the women out of the Mac hunt group and he'd go away for that day. We used to run several different charity helplines from one organisation but Macmillan was the only one we got calls on as we had a free phone number.

Villagetoraiseachild · 27/12/2024 16:40

CornishPorsche · 27/12/2024 11:56

We even get them on 999 calls.

Sweet Jesus.
I agree with @Bixaweet , fine the creeps and timewasters.

WarriorN · 27/12/2024 16:40

I know a couple of the lll leaders who've been trying to fight this rubbish. Over a decade ago when I was in a local LLL group that had an extremely supportive Facebook group, I know that the leaders regularly had to deny creepy men access to the group.

It was a very well known issue

FlirtsWithRhinos · 27/12/2024 15:32

Friends who worked at Directory Inquiries back when that was a thing used to get them as well.

DreadPirateRobots · 27/12/2024 15:07

Literally every service with a publicly available phone number gets the heavy breathers. I used to be a Samaritan.

Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · 27/12/2024 15:05

Used to get those calls when I worked in a restaurant. They called to wind up the waitresses and it was really tedious.

Bixaweet · 27/12/2024 14:41

There should be a way to get these creeps. Surely it's harassment or misuse of communication, especially on 999 calls. Financial penalties?

MimiGC · 27/12/2024 14:38

Definitely used to get men abusing rape crisis lines and that was back in the 80s.

ANameChangePresents · 27/12/2024 12:16

Harkinonnowhear · 27/12/2024 11:49

Wow the breaking down of legitimate female boundaries really out on show on that one.

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Absolutely. More chillingly that originating from the leadership than that from the service users.

NPET · 27/12/2024 12:13

Im afraid every "helpline" gets them. At college I've "manned"* a helpline supposedly for girls/women and had drunken men ring up and tell me they have 12 inches ready for me.

*Prefer "staffing" but... !

CornishPorsche · 27/12/2024 11:56

We even get them on 999 calls.

Harkinonnowhear · 27/12/2024 11:49

ArabellaScott · 27/12/2024 10:49

'Brent/Brenda calls' at the Samaritans.

Horrible story about the man who insisted women indulge the calls:

https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/befriending-heavy-breathers

Wow the breaking down of legitimate female boundaries really out on show on that one.

InvisibleBuffy · 27/12/2024 10:46

I recall someone on here saying it's very common on the rape crisis lines, that they'd get someone claiming be a brother/father/husband of a victim but they'd really draw out the details of what 'happened' and it'd be clear that it was a man playing out a fantasy.

PigInADuvet · 27/12/2024 10:41

Any phone line will get them sadly. At least one every shift when I was a samaritans volunteer

Harkinonnowhear · 27/12/2024 10:29

And mental health charities helplines it is a big issue for them too.

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