Children who lost parents to pandemic pose challenge to authorities

New Delhi: As deaths induced by the COVID infection continue to soar up in Delhi, so does the number of children whose parents succumbed to the virus attack, reports The Indian Express.

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), a statutory body of the Delhi government dealing matters of child rights, says that they have confronted at least five cases in the past four days where both parents are dead, or one of them is dead and the other hospitalised.

In one of the five cases, two siblings of 15 and 16 years of age were found alone at their home after losing both their parents to the pandemic. In another, DCPCR received information about two more siblings who had lost their father to Covid-19 while their mother continued to be hospitalised. They had to arrange a funeral for their father, which is uncertain. Another boy would have to be institutionalised since both of his parents died, and the immediate family members, though ready to give him food, do not appear keen on caring for him. DCPCR opined that child care is not just about feeding a child but providing love and care.

The child welfare authorities said that moving a child to an institution will be the last option, and the priority will be to keep him/her with their immediate family. Thorough checks will be done about their immediate families and their capabilities to take care of the child.

DCPCR admits that though they are receiving information, several cases are going unnoticed. They have appealed to the public to inform them of such cases. The helpline numbers are +91-9311551393 and 1098.