Lavanya Shanbhogue Arvind is an Assistant Professor at JamsetjiTata School of Disaster Studies, Tata institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

This article discusses amplified child marriages, child labor, and unsafe migration during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and state-imposed national and regional lockdowns, several unintended yet desolating and calamitous social deteriorations became evident.The pandemic reversed decades of progress and positive socio-developmental gains concerning gender justice. Among the numerous groups of the affected and at-risk population, children were one of the worsthit by the pandemic. The pandemic intensely amplified child marriages, child labor, and unsafe migration. As household incomes plummeted owing tothe closures of several job-providing sectors, the consequences were severe for young children. Several parents from weaker socio-economic backgrounds opted to marry off their girl children while they forced their male children into child labor.

Child Marriages During Pandemic

According to studies by UNICEF (2021), an estimated 110 million child marriages took place globally, and a bulk of these marriages pertained to young underage girls being married off to older adult men. Between 2011-2020, nearly 25 million child marriages, amounting to about 15% of global child marriages, were deterred owing to relentless activism and advocacy by women’s groups & developmental agencies. The pandemic has eroded decades of such developmental improvements. The worst is not over, for projections by several developmental agencies such as the UNFPA reveal that inthe present decade, too, that is the decade 2021-2030, more than 10 million girls are at risk of child
marriage.

Estimates vary, but initial numbers reveal that India reported anywhere between 15% to 25% increases in child marriages. India accounts for nearly one-third of global child marriages. The interruptions in education due to school closures have increased the risk of child marriages.

In countries where dowry is a common practice, it is estimated that nearly 2-3% of girls will never return to school. Save the Children predicts that as many as 10 million children might never return to school because of the pandemic, most of those being girls. As more and more households were plunged into poverty, the crowd-related restrictions in place because of the pandemic meant that parents were spared from having to spend on big weddings and large invitees.

According to the 2011 Census, there are 10 million child laborers in India, of which 5.6 are boy children, and the rest accounted for girls. The UNICEF & International Labour Organization estimate that nearly 9 million children were pushed into child labor. Child labor is primarily concentrated in the informal sector. The Informal economy is characterized by the lack of social protection, social security, leisure time, depressed wages, andis exploitative.

Girl children thus face the triple burden of child marriages, child labor, and increased household work. Child labourers are concentrated in sectors such as brick making, weaving, handlooms & textiles, food and refreshments, and farm labour in agrarian setups with little or no legislative protections for children in particular.

In India, several measures prevent child marriages and child labor. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 punishes anyone who performs, conducts, directs, or abets any child marriage. Such persons may be imprisoned upto two years and shall also be liable to a fine of upto Rs. 1 lakh. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986 prohibitschildren’s engagement in certain employment and regulates the conditions of children’s work in certain other industries such as those classified as hazardous manufacturing. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights often undertakes various activities and programs from time to time. The national CHILDLINE (1098), a helpline created for children in distress recorded a 33% increase in distress calls during the pandemic. However, in the wake of the pandemic there were massive slowdowns in social programme implementations and non-Covid related law enforcements as all State efforts were channelized towards the management of Covid-19.

Violations of Child Rights in Disaster Contexts

Such violation of child rights is not unique to the Covid-19 pandemic. Several disasters and conflict events have revealed the dirty underbelly of society. In various other disaster situations, child marriages and child labour have also increased. According to UNFPA (2017), in conflict-ridden geographies such as Syria, South Sudan & Yemen, it was found that more than 1/3rd of married women in refugee camps were married before the age of 18. In Indian contexts, post the 2008 Kosi floods, there was a 7% increase in child marriages for both boys and girls (Khanna and Kochhar 2020). Caregiver/guardian/parental deaths increased in orphanhood during the pandemic. Such incidents left children vulnerable and exposed to a range of social evils. Human Rights Watch listed a range of deprivations children face during disaster conflict settings. These include disruptions in education, violence at home, forced child marriages and child labor, sexual exploitation, trafficking, increase in child pornography, amongst others.

School closures brought about other forms of lack. According to Human Rights Watch (2020) nearly 310 million school-going children rely on the schooling system for at least one daily meal. This includes 100 million in India.Further, with education taking a digital turn during the pandemic-slong-standing These many ill-effects are further amplified by other socio-structural and identity-based barriers such as caste, class, disability, minority status etc.These create challenges to resource access both at an individual level and a household level.

Child-Responsive DRR

Ignoring the specific child dimension of risks is a risk in itself and creates new risks! Child-responsive disaster risk reduction refers to analysing and considering the needs, opportunities, roles, and relationships of children across the gender spectrum informed by gender norms within a given culture
and society. Caregivers of children are particularly women, and therefore, child-responsive DRR must include women in adaptation policies related to agriculture, water, forestry, and biodiversity that promote women’s empowerment and increase their decision-making power, enabling children’s
wellbeing. Children-specific insurance programs and social protection measures that enhance long-term resilience among marginalized populations should be encouraged. The expansion of state-supported migration pathways with a focus on children that may increase opportunities and reduce vulnerabilities will enable children’s safety and security in disaster-induced migration contexts.

Reference:

1. Human Rights Watch. 2020. Child Rights & Covid-19 https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/09/covid-19-and-childrens-rights
2. Khanna, Madhulika and Nishtha Kochhar. 2020. “Natural Disasters and Child Marriages: A Case Study from Bihar”. Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania. India in Transition. 21 December 2020
3. Save the Children. 2020. The Global Girlhood Report 2020: How COVID-19 is Putting Progress in Peril. London: Save the Children.
4. UNICEF. 2021. COVID-19: A Threat to Progress against Child Marriage. New York: UNICEF.
5. United Nations Population Fund. 2020. “Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage”. Interim Technical Note. 27 April 2020.