According to the report submitted by Women and Child Development, nearly 577 children have lost their parents between April 1, 2021, to May 25, 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But expert view explains that this is an undercount as govt is still collecting data on such children.
Not so far ago, in 2019 the United Nations’s Children Fund (UNICEF) revealed that India was home to over 29.6 million children, the count which surely has increased because of Covid-19.
But the problem that called for authorities’ attention was invariable calls for adoption, for children who have lost parents to the pandemic, over the social media platforms. Shockingly, only 3.9 per cent of the total 9,346 children who were abandoned or lost parents could be traced to shelter homes, orphanages or special adoption agencies. While the remaining ones are residing with a guardian or a surviving parent.
To your knowledge, adoption law in India strictly mandates that only those who are willing to raising a child should sign up for adoption. It, however, should never be a deed for charity. Besides NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) every state in the country has its child protection and welfare commissions that designate officials to districts.
Despite a working national portal for those who are looking forward to adopting children, and after going through many checks, the right matches are given nod to, the adoption rate in the country is disappointing. This can be predicted by the number of children, 3,350, which are being adopted in a year ending March 2020, leaving thousands of orphans behind, which is a small number in comparison to the US where 66,000 children were adopted by families.
On May 31, the NCPCR submitted a report to the Supreme Court of India mentioning 7,464 children lost both their parents and 140 were abandoned between April 2020 and May 29, 2021. Such children are exposed to facing emotional and mental problems. With more vulnerability, they are prone to anxiety, depression and physical complaints that can eventually lead to a reduced schooling and lesser academic success.