Coronavirus might push nearly 120 million children into poverty in South Asia
240 million out of 600 million children already living in poverty says UN report
An estimated
120 million children living in South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan
and Bangladesh could slip into poverty within the next six months due to the
COVID-19 crisis, taking the total number of such kids in the region to 360
million, according to a new UNICEF report.
The report
-- Lives Upended - How COVID-19 threatens the futures of 600 million South
Asian Children -- covers eight South Asian countries namely Afghanistan,
Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
It says that
an estimated 240 million children already live in "multi-dimensional"
poverty -- including factors such as poor health, lack of education, poor
sanitation and poor quality of work in these countries. An additional 120
million children could be pushed into poverty due to the COVID crisis, taking
the total number to 360 million, it says.
“While they
may be less susceptible to the virus itself, children are being profoundly
affected by the fallout, including the economic and social consequences of the
lockdown,” the report by the UN children’s agency UNICEF said.
The reports
also flags the negative impact of the COVID-related disruption to vaccination,
nutrition and other vital health services.
Quoting
research by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, it said,
"In the worst-case scenario, South Asia could see the additional deaths of
as many as 881,000 children aged 5 or under and that of 36,000 mothers over the
next twelve months. The bulk of these deaths would occur in India and Pakistan,
although Bangladesh and Afghanistan could also see significant levels of
additional mortality."
In a
worst-case scenario, the virus could push another 120 million into poverty and
food insecurity within six months, it warned.
“Without
urgent action now, Covid-19 could destroy the hopes and futures of an entire
generation,” UNICEF’s South Asia regional director Jean Gough said in a
statement.
In Bangladesh,
UNICEF said it found that some of the poorest families could not afford three
meals a day, while in Sri Lanka its survey showed that 30 per cent of families
had cut their food intake.
With schools
shut, poorer children have struggled to keep up with their education,
particularly those in rural households without internet access — or even
electricity.
“There are
concerns that some disadvantaged students may join the nearly 32 million
children who were already out of school before Covid-19 struck,” the report
added.
Other major
concerns include the risks of domestic violence, depression and other mental
health issues with youths spending more time at home.
Rukhsana Manzoor Deputy Editor
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