It is a well-known fact that The Spanish Flu claimed the lives of 10 million Indians. At that time, the country’s growth had declined to -10.5%, and inflation was sky-high. It seems that history is repeating itself with the coronavirus pandemic as the country’s growth also slumped, and the inflation increased this time around. The main sufferers in such a situation were always and still are people from the lower rungs of society.
The COVID-19 pandemic is terrible for low-income families who depend on daily wages for survival. The lockdowns and restrictions have forced these people to starve and often face death. Among the countless sufferers, the worst hit is underprivileged kids who don’t have even the basics like food, shelter, healthcare, protection, and education. Here we look at how COVID-19 has made things worse for India’s underprivileged kids.
- Legal Existence is Threatened
Sadly, many underprivileged kids in India don’t even have a legal existence or documentation to make them eligible for basic services. As a result, they are not getting any government aid during the COVID-19 crisis.
- Financial Crisis
They are often seen at traffic signals, under flyovers, and places of worship where they beg or sell small stuff to survive. They can’t even make a living during the COVID-19 crisis as lockdowns force people to stay home.
- Health Crisis
In addition to suffering from CPVID-19 and not even knowing it, the underprivileged kids of India also developed many health problems during the pandemic. They lived in unhygienic conditions, had no healthcare support, and often saw discharge in their eyes and wax in their ears. They were also severely malnourished.
- Gone Missing
As many of the underprivileged kids of India didn’t have any means of communication, many of them went missing, and the problem was never reported to the police.
- Discrimination
Many of the underprivileged kids of India claimed that they were discriminated against during food distribution and other welfare droved because they smelled bad, had bad attire on, and people believed they might be infected with COVID-19 and didn’t even know it.
- No Social Distancing
The underprivileged kids of India couldn’t practice social distancing as they lived with multiple family members in a small area. If one of the family members were exposed to the virus, the probability is high that they all got infected.
- Deepening Poverty Crisis
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 155 million underprivileged kids of India were below the multidimensional poverty line. This number is shocking and terrifying as it is roughly equivalent to the entire population of Russia.
- No Help Available
As many states imposed lockdowns, NGOs working towards the welfare of needy kids of India weren’t allowed to reach them. As a result, the underprivileged kids of India were malnourished and didn’t have the basics like food, growth monitoring, supplementary nutrition, immunization, sexual and reproductive health services, and education.
- Migrating was Painful
In 2020, India saw one of the worst migrating crises where the poor people living in cities headed back to their villages, small towns, or cities. Many of them had to return on foot as they couldn’t afford public or private transportation. As a result, many of the underprivileged kids of India (1 in 5 migrants) were uprooted overnight. Some of these kids migrated alone or were separated from their families. They often became victims of trauma and stress, which might impact their decision making
- Return of Social Evils
Many experts who work tirelessly to protect the underprivileged kids of India believe that the extreme rise in poverty levels and unemployment during the pandemic might lead to the return of social evils like child marriage or child labour as parents will be forced to make their kids drop out of school and put them to work to earn a decent living. Female underprivileged kids of India might also be forced into child marriage to reduce their financial burden on a low-income family.
You Can Help the Underprivileged Kids of India
If you agree that COVID-19 has Made Things Worse for India’s Underprivileged Kids, you should consider donating to or volunteering for The Pushpa Narendra Foundation. We are working tirelessly towards children and youth welfare in India, and we welcome all the help for these underprivileged kids and youth who need you. Connect with us to know more.