Andhra Pradesh government to rehabilitate children of COVID-19 victims in State

VIJAYAWADA: Coming to the rescue of children, who either lost their parents due to COVID-19 or their parents admitted to hospitals for treatment, the State government has decided to rehabilitate them in Child Protection Centres.

The decision comes in the wake of the recent communication from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to the States to take care of the children, who have lost their parents due to COVID-19 or deprived of parental care with their parents admitted to hospital for treatment.

"There are instances where children, whose parents tested positive for virus, are deprived of any care by their relatives or neighbours out of fear of contracting the virus and apprehensions about COVID-19. To take care of such children, till their parents recover from the virus, the children will be taken care of by the government," said Dr Kritika Shukla, Director of Juvenile Welfare Department.

The government will rehabilitate such children under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Two toll free numbers will be available to inform about such children.

"Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Juvenile Welfare Department officials will take care of the children and hand over them back to their parents after their recovery from COVID," she said. 

District Collectors have been asked to support the department to identify the abandoned children and also to take up an extensive campaign about the initiative through social media and other platforms. Following the orders, officials of Integrated Child Development Scheme have started identifying such children.

Vizianagaram ICDS Project Director M Rajeswari told The New Indian Express that a list is being prepared to find out the number of children, who lost their parents and to provide accommodation to them in Child Care Institutions or Homes. 

"We are in a process of enumerating beneficiaries from today onwards," she said, adding that instructions have been given to the ground level staff for identification of children in need of care and their requirements.

So far, there are no such cases in the district. In Srikakulam district, ICDS officials have identified one such case and started providing free ration to the children. In Srikakulam, a couple of days back, a mason died of COVID-19 after locals did not allow him to enter the village fearing spread of the virus in the neighbourhood. Soon after his death, his wife too tested positive for COVID.

Their two children are presently taken care of by their grandparents. The government is providing ration to the family as a support.