Among the effects of COVID-19 in our societies, there is the greatest possibility that vulnerable people, especially children, can become victims of human trafficking, abuse, and exploitation.
The government imposed the lockdown for India’s 1.3 billion inhabitants on March 24, 2020. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy on 12th May over 122 million people in India already lost their jobs. Around 75% of them were small traders and daily wage-laborers. And when families are economically unstable, the vulnerability of children increases.
At one point during lockdown in India, over the course of 11 days, 92,000 cases of child abuse in the family and in the communities were reported to government helpline.
In the villages, where there is no internet access, many children were unable to continue attending online lessons and there is a high risk of an increase in child labour once we return to normal life. Caritas India is working to help vulnerable children by supporting peer-to-peer learning, psychosocial support, and different activities such as painting, poster making, sports etc.
“We are also helping families to apply for government aid. The government of India has announced provisions to address the issues of returnee migrants and similarly affected rural population by COVID-19, and Caritas India is supporting the migrant workers to avail these subsidies.”
Over 1.465.407 migrants across the country have been provided with basic needs, food, masks, shelter, personal protective equipment, etc.
As governments in many parts of the world are now focusing on health, many other issues, such human trafficking, and exploitation are taking a back seat. But there is a strongly need to adopt a common approach to combat human trafficking effectively at the national and international levels. Governments and civil society need to work together to make a difference.
Original source: Caritas
Published on 28 July 2020