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Delhi child rights body says 2,029 kids have lost one or both parents to Covid in the capital

Covid pandemic, especially the second wave, has robbed many children of parents — while some children have been orphaned, many others find themselves in single-parent households.

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New Delhi: A total of 2,029 children have been traced in the capital who have lost either one or both parents to Covid, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) said Wednesday.

The Covid pandemic, especially the second wave, has robbed many children of their parents — while some children have been orphaned, many others now find themselves in single-parent households. 

According to the DCPCR, a statutory body created under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, 67 of the 2,029 children have lost both parents to Covid. While 651 children have lost their mothers to Covid, 1,311 lost their fathers. 

DCPCR Chairperson Anurag Kundu told ThePrint that the figures cover the entire period since March 2020, when Covid began to spread around India.

According to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) — the apex child rights body in the country — 1,742 children across the country have lost both parents during the pandemic (March 2020-29 May 2021). 

In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on 1 June, the NCPCR also said 7,464 children are now in single-parent households because of Covid and 140 have been abandoned. The commission collected this data from states and Union Territories.

In May, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development said 577 children have been orphaned across India during the second wave of the pandemic. The number for Delhi, the ministry added, was one

WCD Minister Smriti Irani said in a tweet that the numbers were for the period between 1 April and 25 May (as of 2 pm), and as reported by states and Union Territories.


Also Read: Work on rehabilitation, health infra to protect children orphaned in Covid, NHRC tells states


Losing parents to Covid

In its press release, the DCPCR said the details of all the children who have lost parents to Covid have been shared with the Delhi Women and Child Department so they can benefit from the measures introduced for their welfare. 

Last month, the Kejriwal government announced that it will bear the education — and other necessary — expenses of children who have lost parents to Covid.

The issue of Covid orphans gained traction in May as several social media posts sought to offer for adoption children whose parents had allegedly died of the disease.

The DCPCR raised alarm over the social media posts at the time, flagging their potential link with trafficking and seeking the intervention of Delhi Police.

Helpline for children in distress

In April, the DCPCR launched a helpline (9311551393) meant to address concerns of children who have lost both parents to Covid or whose mothers and fathers are hospitalised. 

The DCPCR said 4,500 complaints were received on the helpline in the last three months. “Of this, 2,200 were SOS complaints requiring immediate attention. 85 per cent of these SOS complaints were responded within 24 hours and 15 per cent within 72 hours,” the commission said.

The SOS complaints, the DCPCR added, pertained to the supply of essentials like rations and medicines, besides concerns such as abandoned children, and Covid testing requirements, etc.

This is an updated version of the report

(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)


Also Read: Why MP first brought scheme for ‘Covid orphans’ with no earning parent & then tweaked it


 

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