The novel coronavirus pandemic has thrown lives out of gear for all of us. But the impact has been disproportionately felt by children from the vulnerable communities. All aspects of their lives namely protection, nutrition as well as education have taken a hit, Sandhyabati Pradhan, OSCPCR chairperson
Bhubaneswar: Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) and Action Aid & Child Fund India is all set to organise Sishu Sampark Yatra, a state level campaign to connect children amid the pandemic. The fest is scheduled to be held at Puri January 20.
Sandhyabati Pradhan, chairperson, OSCPCR, said, “The novel coronavirus pandemic has thrown lives out of gear for all of us. But the impact has been disproportionately felt by children from the vulnerable communities. All aspects of their lives namely protection, nutrition as well as education have taken a hit.”
She added that the socio-economic distress caused by the pandemic makes matters worse for children living in poverty. These include those at risk of child labour, early marriage, trafficking, children with special needs and those in care institutions. Besides, they are being exposed to increased exploitation and abuse.
The pandemic has completely disrupted the schooling system for children. Access to digital tools is also increasing certain risks. For example, children, especially girls, are becoming more vulnerable to cyber bullying.
“In this context, reaching out to these children and their families to understand the situation, provide necessary support and strengthen the care and protection mechanisms is extremely important,” said Ghasiram Panda, programme manager, Action Aid.
In the first phase, we will visit different blocks of Puri such as Delanga, Kanasa, Pipili to attend the grievances on violation of children rights. The campaign will run throughout the year and will also visit other districts,” he said.
PNN