As many as 3,621 children have been orphaned since the pandemic started in 2020, the National Commission for Child Rights (NCPCR) said in an affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court on, as per an Indian Express report.
Further, the NCPCR data indicated that 26,176 children lost one of their parents and 274 children were abandoned between the dates of 1 April 2020 and 5 June 2021.
The statutory body indicated that the parents’ deaths shown by the data may not necessarily be linked to COVID-19 but could be related to other causes as well.
The Supreme Court, while deliberating over a suo motu case on the welfare of children affected due the COVID-19 pandemic, had ordered the states and UTs on 28 May to upload their data on the subject of the NCPCR's 'Bal Swaraj' portal.
What Does the NCPCR Data Show?
The welfare body has identified a total of 30,071 who are in need of care and protection.
Of these, 15,620 are boys, 14,447 girls, and four are transgenders.
Maharashtra has the highest number of the children – 7,084 – requiring protection. Uttar Pradesh comes next, with 3,172 affected children. The other states with high numbers are Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Kerala.
5,107 of the children belong to the 4-7 years age group. A large proportion of the children – 11,815 – are aged 8-13 years.
In order to ensure the safety of the children, the Commission has requested the court to direct all the states and UTs to ensure that the sensitive data be treated as confidential information.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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