Migrant and displaced children in the age of COVID-19

Let's discuss How the pandemic is impacting them and what can we do to help them?

This Pandemic COVID taught us many lessons and above all this pandemic is a nightmare to the migrant children. All of a sudden their dwindling life becomes misery when they heard that their parents lost their unorganized job and they have to move back to their home town, which is 1000 miles away. This is the case for millions of Indian family and this was documented in many news channels. After waiting for 60 odd days and had one meal in three days many Migrant workers started their never-ending journey towards their home town/village, The place which they left because of poverty. When they were thinking of coming back then they were not sure whether they will get anything to do there but the hunger and crying of their children forced them to take this extreme step.

Many made it but many failed. Yet, their children will always remember this exodus and the valuable lessons they learned on how to survive in India. The children walked carrying their own loads, learning how to stay alive in the summer heat without food or water. Some made it, some didn’t. Like the 12-year-old girl who died on her way from Telangana to Chhattisgarh, a distance of about 150 km. She began walking from the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district and died three days later, one hour away from her home in Bijapur district.

Many migrant children will see their family’s income shrink or disappear and, globally, poverty levels are expected to worsen in the coming days. Vulnerable populations are predicted to disproportionately bear the brunt of this economic contraction. Poor health systems and disrupted health services – a reality for many migrants and displaced children – are likely to further weaken, placing children at risk of intensified hardship, both physical and psychological. The crowded conditions and poor access to proper water and sanitation common among families living in displacement pose obvious risks at a time when social distancing and hygiene are so critical.

In the case of children staying behind with caregivers when one or both parents have migrated for work, remittances are often a critical source of income and security. This is especially the case in low- and middle-income countries, where remittances alleviate poverty, improve nutritional outcomes, and are associated with higher education spending and reduced child labor. It is estimated that three-quarters of remittances are used to cover essentials such as food, housing, school, and health care.21 The World Bank projects that remittances will decline by about 20 percent in 2020, the sharpest decline in recent history. As this happens, the well-being of families and children will come under threat, potentially leading more children to drop out of school, seek work, migrate, or be subjected to child marriage or trafficking.

What needs to be done?

The COVID-19 pandemic will have broad-ranging, long-term humanitarian and socioeconomic impacts on migrant and displaced children in all over the world. Many of these effects have yet to be seen. Sound policies and urgent actions are needed to put migrant and displaced children at the forefront of preparedness, prevention, and response to COVID-19 – to ensure health, safety, and protection for all today, and for the long term.

Special attention should be given as soon as possible to mitigate the risk. The government should open Aganwadi Kendra to feed these hungry children and they have to make strong social policies to safeguard their rights.

Collaboration and unity are needed more than ever to ensure health, safety, and protection for all, especially for those in the most vulnerable of circumstances. Around the world, millions of migrant and displaced children on nearly every continent are already facing acute deprivations that will upend their growth and development as they mature into adults. COVID-19 presents even greater challenges and threatens to disrupt their lives even further. Protecting these children’s well-being today is the best way to invest in their future and restore hope for a calmer path ahead