Jukta Rani Das
The first wave of COVID-19 came as a surprise to everyone, where the main concern was to understand what is this “new normal”. Each age group faced its share of challenges, however for many children it was tough handling online classes, with no outdoor games and also understanding what is a “pandemic” in the first wave and second wave . The Third wave has been a different ball game altogether, from merely adapting to this pandemic to understanding illness and death, and seeing it up close. The virus has not just impacted the physical but also the mental health of children.
NCPCR reported that at least 3,621 children have orphaned due to COVID-19 and 26,000 lost one parent. The dire state our country has gone through subjected everyone to a situation that left people hopeless and helpless. Children who are dependent on adults for their basic needs and have been exposed to an overwhelming stimulus, having witnessed so much, their childhood ‘snatched away’ from them, has had a major impact on their mental health.
India has approximately 472 million children under the age of 18 years, and with the coming of the third wave, it is ever so important to shed light on the mental health of children and address the challenges being faced by them.