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The world is facing a global care crisis that we must urgently resolve.
When children live in an unstable family environment or lose important family bonds at a very young age, this may have an irreversible impact on the rest of their lives.
This is what we see In our work, day after day.
We see this when we meet kids like 8-month-old Aleksander* and his 10-year-old sister Natalyia, they all live in Ukraine. Sadly, they recently lost their mother who raised them as a single parent. The local child protection agency handed them to his father Ivan to take care of them. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ivan lost his job and found himself unable to provide enough support for the children.
The pandemic has exacerbated the suffering of children like Alexander and Natalia all over the world.
The pandemic and the measures taken to alleviate it have had some negative effects on every child, every family, and every community. But it hits the most vulnerable people the most.
Millions of people like Ivan were already struggling to make ends meet before the emergence of COVID-19. Now they face many additional responsibilities and pressures and find it almost impossible to take care of their children effectively.
Children suffer disproportionately
Many children have lost their parents or other primary caregivers due to the virus. According to a study published in The Lancet, “During the first 14 months of the pandemic, more than 1.5 million children worldwide lost at least one parent, guardian grandparent, or grandparent due to COVID-19-related deaths. Grandparents. “. This shows that for every two adults who die of COVID-19, one child has no caregiver.
These children are usually taken care of by another family member, and they often have to bear additional financial burdens. At the same time, orphans who cannot be taken care of by family members are placed under the care of the state-which has a lasting impact on their lives.
But it is not only children who have lost their primary caregivers who suffer because of the pandemic.
This pandemic has left hundreds of millions of children living in conditions of greater poverty, social exclusion and even hunger. Many families who have not experienced pandemic-related deaths are struggling to make ends meet and find themselves unable to meet the most basic needs of their children.
The anxiety and mental health problems caused by the pandemic have also dealt a devastating blow to families and children. Many parents and other primary caregivers are under unprecedented pressure due to economic insecurity, lack of childcare services, school closures, and limited or unavailable access to health care or other social services and benefits. Mental health and psychosocial support needs are not fully understood, and services are often not available.
This has led to an increase in child abuse and neglect. Many parents took desperate measures, such as sending their children away. Compared with 2019, the number of children placed in alternative care in our plan due to caregivers unable to continue to take care of them in 2020 has increased by 26%.
The children themselves have been telling us how the pandemic has negatively affected their lives. Some people say they no longer feel safe at home.
The global survey initiated by #CovidUnder19 involved more than 26,000 children and young people from 137 countries/regions. The results showed that during a pandemic, children living in alternative care institutions often feel worried, bored or sad.
During these difficult times, young people have also suffered disproportionately. Many people who left our care plan shortly before the pandemic came back to us for support, saying that they had lost their jobs and found themselves unable to continue their education remotely or unable to pay rent.
This childcare crisis is still intensifying.
In many parts of the world, delays and inequalities in vaccination put more and more children and caregivers at risk-putting more children at risk of losing their parents and caregivers.
We cannot stand by and let this situation continue.
This pandemic has exposed the ongoing care crisis around the world. Although some governments provide emergency support to families, in some cases, support has never existed.
Civil society has stepped up to help meet the most urgent needs of families and children. However, this does not provide a long-term, sustainable solution.
What is needed to resolve this unprecedented crisis is political will and financial commitment.
Governments must take the lead in responding to this emergency crisis to prevent further harm to individuals, families and society as a whole.
This requires a systematic, coordinated, and well-sourced emergency response focused on the most vulnerable groups. This includes services for all children and their families, such as education, health, mental health and psychosocial support, parenting support, and other direct support services such as cash transfers, universal child welfare or other income support measures.
Better access to vaccines on a global scale is also important-this is the only way to contain the pandemic. All of us know clearly that we can protect our own health only by protecting everyone’s health.
Finally, the government needs to invest in a child protection system that can meet long-term care needs. This gives every child a better chance to succeed in life.
The private sector, civil society, children and their families must all join the government as part of the solution. This is the only way for children like Aleksander and Nataliya to have a fair chance in life.
We must all do our part. Everything is on the deck. If every child receives love and support, the world will become a better place.
*All names have been changed.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
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