Government Asked To Formulate Policies To Pay Attention To The Fate Of Children Affected By The Pandemic

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JAKARTA - DPD RI member Fahira Idris believes that the government must pay attention to the fate of Indonesian children, who are the most vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, the teaching and learning process and the interaction of children at school, both with teachers and their friends as well as various extracurricular activities that are beneficial for character building, had to be stopped.

"Not only that, apart from being a group at risk of being infected, children are also vulnerable to losing family members, especially fathers and mothers, due to COVID-19 during this pandemic," said Fahira, Tuesday, July 27. A 10-year-old elementary school in Linggang Village, Purworejo, West Kutai Regency, had to self-isolate alone at home because her mother and father died after being exposed to COVID-19.

Furthermore, Fahira cites a recent study from the journal The Lancet, it is estimated that 1.5 million children worldwide have lost their parents, grandparents, or other relatives who cared for them due to death due to COVID-19.

Similar data was also released by research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (US), at least more than one million children worldwide have lost their parents to COVID-19.

"In detail, there are a total of 1.5 million children who have lost one parent, so they have to be cared for by their grandparents or other responsible relatives," he said.

Therefore, Fahira suggested that Indonesia make a policy that pays special attention to children who have lost their parents due to COVID-19.

"I understand that currently there are many pandemic issues that the government is focusing on solving. However, the issue of policies and special attention for children who have lost their parents due to COVID-19 is also an important issue that needs to be formulated immediately," he said.

As for the first step, said Fahira, it could be started by collecting data on the number of children in Indonesia who had lost their parents (either mother, father, or both). From this data, various policies and special concerns can be formulated. The senator from DKI Jakarta reminded again that children who have lost their parents are at risk of experiencing various short-term and long-term effects. Starting from the risks to the continuity of education, mood and psychological (mental health), developmental disorders, physical health and their general well-being.

“The impact of this pandemic is so great that it can even shake the resilience of a family where children are the most vulnerable. The state must be present so that these children can still look to the future and achieve even though they have to live life without one or both of their parents," said Fahira.