The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping through India has been particularly brutal on children. Far more than during the first wave, this time around, a worrying number of children have tested positive for Covid-19. Additionally, with the coronavirus infecting entire families, many children have been left to fend for themselves. In some cases, one or both parents are down with Covid-19 and unable to take care of children. In others, parents are in hospital. Several cases have come to light of children having lost both parents to the disease. These children need immediate support. According to reports, child helplines have been inundated with calls appealing for help for orphaned children. Authorities must intervene to provide immediate support to these children.
The Karnataka government has taken a first, albeit long-overdue step, towards dealing with this issue. On Monday, it appointed an IAS officer as the nodal official to identify children orphaned due to Covid-19 and ensure that they have the support they need. The nodal official has been mandated to make long-term arrangements for the care of such children. The task ahead is enormous and will need the nodal official’s full attention. He must address the multiple vulnerabilities that children are facing. In addition to ensuring that the children’s basic needs are met, the government must address their emotional and mental health needs. Ill-health and death of parents is hard for an adult to cope with. It is far more difficult for a child to comprehend what has happened to her parents. Affected children don’t always show their grief by shedding tears. Many children withdraw and become silent, throw tantrums or adopt infantile behaviour to deal with the crisis. Sometimes, children will need professional counselling, even psychiatric support. The government must work with NGOs and activists who have experience in dealing with children.
Long-term care arrangements need to be made for children. If they are to be put in the care of extended family, authorities must ensure that the new guardians are indeed committed to caring for the child. Child rights activists say that there is an increase in public interest to adopt these children. While this is positive, we need to be cautious in putting children in the care of others. Child traffickers will be looking out for children to prey upon. Authorities must be cautious in putting children up for adoption. The flood of orphaned children in recent weeks should not make adoption officials lax. The welfare of these children is our responsibility. We must remain committed to their long-term wellbeing.