With more than a decade long work experience in the develomnet sector, Vishal Vasvani is currently working at UNICEF as an Emergency Officer in the Raipur field office. He also holds a Masters of Arts degree in Disaster Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a PG Diploma in Public Health from Indian Institute of Public Health.
Millions of children throughout the world are affected by disasters each year. This article alalyses the impact of pandemic on Children.
Children, especially those living in poverty or marginal and underdeveloped environments, assume a disproportionate share of the burden created by disasters in the near and long term. In 2011, declaring children to bethe group most affected by disasters each year, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR, 2011) advocated their active participation in disaster risk reduction activities. Disaster risk reduction represents organized approaches to examine and address factors associated with disaster risk and exposure, vulnerabilities, and adverse disaster effects (UNISDR, 2009). Rather than simply being the passive victims of disasters, children can contribute to disaster mitigation, preparedness, and response.
Pandemic & Children
Children were not the face of this pandemic. But they were at the risk of being among its most prominent victims. The available evidence indicates the direct impact of COVID-19 on children, adolescents, and youth mortality to be limited. However, there is concern that the indirect effects of the
pandemic on mortality in these age groups stemming from strained health systems, household income loss, and disruptions to care-seeking and preventative interventions like vaccination may be more substantial. All children of all ages and in all countries are being affected by the socio-economic impacts and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. It is a universal crisis, and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong. In a survey on the continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, published in August 2020, 90% of countries reported disruptions to vital health services since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The most frequently disrupted areas reported trouble with services essential for children, such as routine immunization – including 70% of outreach services and 61% of facility-based services.Disruptions to education affect children’s well-being, in addition to their formal learning. Many of the children who stated that they do not go to school or whose schools are closed reported an increase in negative feelings (81% and 84%, respectively), compared to just over half (56%) who went to school in person. Moreover, the harmful effects of this pandemic on children were not distributed equally. They were most damaging for children in the poorest countries, in the destitute neighborhoods, and for those in already disadvantaged or vulnerable situations.
Common Reactions in Young People
Emergencies & disasters, including pandemics, can be as frightening and stressful for children and teens as they are foradults. Like adults, young people can experience reactions as they attempt to copewith anxiety, frustration, and fear. These reactions can occur for a few weeks to a monthafter the event but in this pandemic, these feeling went up and down with the deadly waves.
The following reactions were common for children and teens of all ages:
- Engaging in violent & aggressive behavior.
- Sleeping issues and having nightmares.
- Expressing extreme concern for the well-being of others or constant fear that the pandemic will not be over.
- Losing interest in hobbies.
- Being unable to complete routine tasks such as talking, reading, or writing.
- Constant headaches, sourstomach, or fever.
- Going through radical changes in attitude & behavior with family and friends.
- Feeling detached, isolated, or vulnerable.
Impact of COVID on Children
Children have been overwhelmingly affected by negative feelings due to the pandemic and the disruption to their lives, including the lack of socializing and school closures,with uncertainty and stress contributing to staggering levels of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Lockdown measures led to more children relying on technology to learn and stay in touch with friends and family. However, not all children have the knowledge or resources to stay safe online, putting them at risk of exploitation and online abuse and leading to worrying mental health effects.Online abuse, harassment, and bullying might have as many negative consequences as physical violations and abuse. According to data analyzed by UNICEF, since the onset of the pandemic, an estimated 100 million additional children have been driven into poverty – a 10% increase compared to pre-COVID-19. This spike means a projected 1.1 billion children are now living in poverty. Families in lower-income countries have been hit the hardest and are recovering at a slower pace with higher levels of unemployment.
Impact on school education in India
Initially, most governments had decided to close the schools to reduce the impact of Covid-19 temporarily. Later on,schools were reopened for a few grades, which increased the infection rates,and hence were closed again.Though schools were closed, students attended classes through various education initiatives like online classrooms and radio programs. Also, teachers who were experts in Blackboard, Chalk, books, and classroom-style teaching were new to this digital teaching. Still, they were adopting the latest methods and handled it like a pro to aid the students in theirsituation.
However, many students who didn’t own the resources to participate in online courses suffered a lot. Many students were struggling to obtain the gadgets required for online courses. The shutting down of schools and the decision to shift traditional classrooms to digital platforms increased learning inequality among children. They pushed many children out of school due to the digital divide.
School Dropouts
A survey in West Bengal found that child labor among school-going children had increased by 105 percent during the pandemic (HT, 2020). Another study by Save the Children during the pandemic reports the discontinuation of children’s education in 62 percent of the surveyed households, with 67 percent in rural and 55 percent in urban areas, respectively (Save the Children, 2020). This impact will be more significant for poorer households who might face budget constraints. This will cause children to drop out of school and be pulled into economic activities to support their parents’ earnings. The dropout rates and out-of-school children were already poor even before COVID-19. According to NSS 75 Round Household Survey 2017-2018, around 3.22 crore children in the 6–17-years age group are out of school (NSO, 2019). These figures were higher for rural areas as compared to urban areas. The primary reasons cited for being out of school are engaged in economic activities and participation in household chores.
- Disruption in food
The Mid Day Meal (MDM) is a significant part of the diet of Indian children. It is one of the most critical interventions of the Government of India with multiple benefits, such as avoiding classroom hunger, increasing school attendance, and addressing malnutrition. The prevalence of stunting varies by schooling status, with a higher percentage of stunting among out-of -school children than those attending school. For adolescents, nearly one-quarter (24%) of children aged 10 to 19 had low BMI. Unfortunately, as the schools closed across the country, the school feeding program could no longer provide the much-needed free lunch to 115.9 million children enrolled under the scheme (MDM Portal). - Digital divide and learning inequality
Due to the closure of schools to ensure the health and safety of children during the pandemic, teaching had moved to digital platforms through online teaching methods, government portals, Direct-to-Home (DTH) channels, and others. However, remotelearning is a challenge for many students in India, given the vast differences in access to basic digital infrastructure, including electricity, devices like smartphones and computers, and internet connectivity. While 24 percent of Indians own a smartphone, only 11 percent of households possessany computer,
and just 24 percent of Indian households have an internet facility (MOSPI, 2019). Having online classes regularly had a cost implication as students have to bear the cost of internet services.While the internet has played an instrumental role in continuing education and learning, it has also given way to multiple cyber-related crimes, such as hacking and cyberbullying, exposing children to explicit and violent content, which can provoke, corrupt, and influence young minds. Also, while almost 99.9 percent of homes in India have a power connection, the quality of the electricity supply is inferior, especially in rural India. Only 47 percent of rural households receive electricity for more than 12 hours. - Impact on early childhood care and education (ECCE)
In India, the ECCE services are primarily provided through the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. In 2019, 30 million children (3-6 years) were beneficiaries of this scheme in 1.37 million operational AWCs (MWCD, 2020). Therefore, it is highly likely that the disruption of ICDS services due to the lockdown during COVID-19 would have had enormous consequences on these children’s health, nutrition, and learning. Further, early learning andpre-schools play a crucial role in laying the foundation of a child’s proper psychological, physical, and social development. The closure of schools and other institutions that provide early childhood care and education continues to pose an immense threat to their holistic development potential.
India already has the most significant number of malnourished children. The National Family Health Survey reports that the national prevalence of under-five stunting is 38.4 percent, and under-five wasting prevalence stands at 21 percent (NFHS-IV, 2015-16). According to a Lancet study, due to
reductions in routine health service coverage levels, disruption in life-saving immunization activities, and an increase in child wasting, up to 300,000 children could die in India alone in the next six months (UNICEF, 2020) The Anganwadi workers (AWWs) were also burdened with COVID-19 duty as well as the delivery of rations to households in various states. They went door-to-door, recording people’s travel history, noting flu symptoms, and, where needed, even helping trace contacts (World Bank, 2020). Hence, they no longer had the time to address the educational requirements of children.
Strategies to Cope
Though children do become worst affected during disaters such as pandemic, but parents, teachers &
caregivers can support them by identifying their emotions and reactions through the
followingstrategies:
- By encouraging children to express their feelings & thoughts. For childrenunable to express themselvesverbally, support them to draw or color as anemotional vent.
- Let the children make choices over small things; this will help them feel incontrol. These choices include what to eat, play & study.
- Engage in positive activities together where you give your child undivided attention. Try to include friends to encourage interpersonal relationships.
- Promote activities like stretching, running, or any sports to supportthe children in processing nervousness, stress, or frustration.
- Offer consistent explanations in response to concernsfrom the child.
- Limit your child’s access to dangerous and high-risk activities, including limited access to media coverage of the event. If possible, direct children towards positive media coverage of the situation. In a nutshell, the best support to children after any emergencyis to keep children reunited with family and friends. Sometimes, supporting children throughout this period can be frustrating and upsetting. Still, it is crucial to know thatthese reactions will often go away on their own time and will not seriouslyaffect your child’s development and well-being.