Maharashtra sees rise in number of working children during Covid years

The total number has gone from 2556 in 2020 to 3356 in 2021 and is currently 3309 in 2022

The last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing lockdowns, deeply affected the education and overall well-being of children in rural, as well as urban, areas of Maharashtra.

This was revealed through an observation and monitoring exercise carried out by the non-profit non-governmental organisation Child Rights and You (CRY), along with its partner organisations at grassroot level. The exercise also found an alarming number of children working in agriculture and other industries.

For a number of years, CRY has been working in six rural districts of Maharashtra—Jalna, Latur, Wardha, Ahmednagar, Nandurbar and Parbhani—regarding children’s education and protection. The non-profit organisation said that the pandemic set them back significantly.

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Within the CRY intervention areas of these districts, the number of children who started working as petty labourers or in the agriculture sector is said to have risen since 2020.

From 2,556 in 2020, the number rose to 3,356 in 2021; the total number working children, so far, in 2022 is currently 3,309.

Explaining the reasons behind the rise, Kreeanne Rabadi, Director of CRY (West) said: “Closure of schools, lack of access to internet connectivity and mobile phones for online classes, financial stress on families with huge job losses, as well as the long hiatus of state-run bus services seemed to have affected children’s academic prospects in rural areas. Thereby forcing them to work in agriculture as well as in family-run enterprises. Within CRY intervention areas in Maharashtra, close to 55 per cent children accessed online education because of their linkage with Activity Centres and access to digital learning aids (tablets).”

In cities, too, CRY found that a large number of children, despite attending online classes, were opting to work.

In Mumbai’s two intervention areas, CRY found the pandemic and the lockdown to have had a multi-layered impact on families that were on the margins in urban centres. All were affected to some degree; some were severely affected due to loss of jobs, and some with reduced wages.

CRY also detailed that during the pandemic’s initial period, children went without any school. When online classes started, many children—due to an acute digital divide—lost the opportunity to get connected online. Several families did not have adequate gadgets for all children for their separate online classes. Households started running out of data packages, and with no income coming in, many children had to opt out of online schooling. In many households, children were forced to work as parents lost their jobs, sources in CRY said.