Covid-19 left over 1.1 lakh children without a parent in India
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on a lot of households by robing families off their savings and members. Many children were left parentless or without a caregiver. A recent study found that more than a million Indian children lost at least one parent, relative or guardian living with them since the pandemic began in the country.
The study was conducted by researchers belonging to the World Health Organization, Imperical College of London, University of Oxford and CDC Covid-19 Response Team to properly gauge the impact of the pandemic. It was published in the journal Lancet on 20th July 2022. The survey covered 21 countries that accounted for nearly 77% of global Covid-19 deaths as of April 30, 2021. Researchers estimated figures based on Covid-19 mortality data from March 2020 through April 2021, and national fertility statistics. They extrapolated their findings to produce global estimates. Loss of both parents was accounted for, so that children were not counted twice and presented with the followed data:
Indian scenario
According to the estimates of this study, as many as 1.5 million children lost at least one parent, relative or guardian living with them since the pandemic began in the country. Of these, an estimated 1.16 children lost their father, mother or both. The rest either lost a grandparent or an elderly relative who may have been a primary or a secondary caregiver. The estimates for India indicate an 8.5-fold increase in the numbers of children newly orphaned in April 2021 (43,139) compared to March (5,091).
Global picture
From March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, the study estimates that 11.34 lakh children lost a primary caregiver (at least one parent or custodial grandparent). Including other co-residing grandparents (or other older relatives), the total is 15.62 lakh children, of whom over 1 million (10.42 lakh) lost one or both parents. Mexico (1.41 lakh) and Brazil (1.30 lakh) have the highest number of children who have lost a primary caregiver, followed by India.
Combatting this phenomenon
Researches from different universities and institutions have proposed various efforts to move forward from this casualty and how it can be combatted. According to Professor Lucie Cluver of Oxford University and the University of Cape Town, rapid vaccination of caregivers of children should be the way forward. Brinelle D’ Souza, senior faculty at Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, on the other hand, stressed on a special task force to look into matter including the vulnerabilities these children can face and a policy in that regard. According to Dr Seth Flaxman of Imperial College, children should be identified and given the support they need to thrive.
(With Inputs from agencies)