Children orphaned by Covid-19 can become victims of trafficking and abuse: Save the Children

Children orphanded by Covid-19 are extremely vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and trafficking, Save the Children, a global non-profit organisation alerted on Tuesday, while calling everyone not to share details of such children online.

India has reported a record numbers of deaths from Covid-19, over the past weeks. Whilst some children who lost their parents are taken in by relatives or guardians, others are left to fend for themselves, putting them at risk of child trafficking, the NGO said in a statement.

Read | States step in to support children orphaned by Covid-19

The NGO, which works for children in 120 countries, including 19 states in India said the desperate pleas by many on social media to adopt such children was leaving them vulnerable to trafficking and abuse. The NGO has projects in Assam too.

The NGO cited an incident in eastern Assam's Jorhat district, where children of a family were left orphans after their mother succumbed to Covid-19 on May 10. Their father had died in February.

“This is an incredibly confusing and difficult time for children, especially for those who have lost their parents. We’re concerned that things will get even worse for as the death toll continues to rise," said Chittapriyo Sadhu, deputy programs director for Save the Children in India.

"Besides immediate threat to their safety, we’re also extremely concerned about the toll this crisis is taking on children’s mental health. In many cases, these children will have had to watch their parents suffer without access to oxygen or proper medical care, which is likely to leave them extremely distressed. Children from poorer families might also have to work to support their families, or care for younger brothers or sisters, which means they’ll have to drop out of school, trapping them in a cycle of poverty.”

Save the Children provides mental health support to children who have lost their parents to the virus.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the state government was preparing a scheme on how to take care of the children who lost their parents due to Covid-19. Assam's death toll due to the virus since last year crossed 2,300, of which about 1,200 were in the second wave so far.