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Distress calls on Delhi’s child helpline surge amid rise in Covid-19 cases
New Delhi: After losing their parents to Covid-19 on Friday, two siblings, aged 20 and 18, attempted to take their lives on the same day but the timely intervention of the neighbours, who alerted police, saved them
New Delhi: After losing their parents to Covid-19 on Friday, two siblings, aged 20 and 18, attempted to take their lives on the same day but the timely intervention of the neighbours, who alerted police, saved them. They were later rescued from south Delhi.
A day earlier, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) helped a 15-year-old boy, who was struggling to take care of his mother alone after she tested positive for Covid-19.
Amid a rise in both Covid-19 cases and fatalities, authorities, including the DCPCR, the Delhi Police, and several NGOs, are now working to ensure children of deceased patients and those who are ill are getting all the assistance they need. Officials said the child distress helpline are receiving many calls from children seeking help.
The DCPCR has also launched a helpline +91-9311551393 to address the needs of children who have lost parents or whose parents are hospitalised or are in any distress.Anurag Kundu, chairperson of DCPCR, said he will ensure that the calls pouring into the helpline are looked into within 24 hours.
“Children are the most vulnerable in these testing times as they remain dependent on others to provide for them. The helpline is receiving numerous cases wherein a child has lost all sources of support and is in need of immediate care. The Commission is committed to resolving all such cases in less than 24 hours,” said Kundu.
For instance, after two children lost both their parents within a day, the commission coordinated with NGOs, following which local staff interacted with the duo and counselled them. “The relatives and neighbours are taking care of the children now. The Commission has been checking in on them everyday,” read a statement released by the commission.
The commission said citizens could call the new helpline number and inform about children in distress.
Sonal Kapoor, founder of Protsahan, said the most important thing is to work on closure for such children. “We aren’t taught how to deal with emotions involving grief, trauma, and death. A lot of adults, including caregivers and NGOs, are also in denial and children too struggle to process these emotions. The challenge is to establish a routine in the child’s life. While government agencies can put children in shelter homes and provide essentials, the focus should also be on psycho-social needs on grief and trauma healing,” she said.
In another case, the DCPCR also facilitated the process of cremation for two children who lost their father and provided medical assistance, along with Covid tests, to them while their relatives arrived in a few hours.
Last week, in Rohini, three children aged below 10 were living with their grandmother after their father died of Covid-19 and their mother was hospitalized with the infection. Volunteer groups provided essential supplies like fruits, milk, and bread after seeing the SOS call on social media. However, they pointed out that their grandmother was “very old to feed and manage them.”
Kundu responded to the SOS asking his team to “make sure the children have all medical help, food and to daily check in on them at least for the next 15 days. Also, see if the children can talk to their mother over the phone.”
In another case, a 14-year-old lost all his family members to Covid-19 and has been in home isolation after testing positive for the infection with no one to look after him. After receiving SOS messages on social media, the commission provided assistance to the child.
