Tens of Thousands of Children Lose their Parents

Tens of thousands of children in Indonesia have lost their parents to COVID-19 during the pandemic. This phenomenon has threatened the quality and future of the nation\'s next generation.

KOMPAS/SONYA HELLEN SINOMBOR

Fiona Husen (13), James (11) and Charles (4), three siblings who lost both their parents at once. On June 29, 2021 his mother died after being exposed to Covid-19. Less than two weeks their father also died of Covid-19.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The COVID-19 pandemic not only poses a serious threat today, but also the future as many Indonesian children have lost their parents to the disease. The large number of transmission clusters in work places and families has caused a high mortality rate for people of productive age, leaving their children without a parent or even two parents at a young age.

The loss of fathers and mothers has caused many children, especially those who are still minors, to suffer great psychological stress. They were not ready to be separated from their parents but now have to take care of themselves and their younger siblings if they are the eldest child.

Azhar Al Ghifari Putra Setiawan, an 8-year-old boy from Sukoharjo regency, Central Java, who is now being raised by his aunt, Eni Sulistyowati, 44, for example, often cries, keeping himself isolated while daydreaming since his parents died.

"Azhar is often alone," said Eni.

Also read:

> Screams of Death during Pandemic

> Bringing Down the Death Rate

Azhar\'s parents, Haryati, 37, and Deni Budi Setyawan, 43, died after battling COVID-19. Haryati died on 21 July, 2021, and her husband Deni followed two days later.

Worries about their future have haunted a large number of children who have become orphans after their parents died of COVID-19. Fiona Husen, 13, the child of a couple from East Nusa Tenggara who had migrated to Bekasi, West Java, and Godelva, 17, a Papuan teenager, for example, hope they will be able to fulfill their dreams despite being raised by their parents\' relatives.

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

The children of street vendors, Supriyadi (right) and Enggar sell pickled fruit at the location of the 2019 National Children\'s Day commemoration event which was held at Karebosi Field, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Tuesday (23/7/2019). Supriyadi is an orphan who currently lives with his grandmother in the Pongtiku area, Makassar.

Productive age

As COVID-19 deaths continue, the number of orphans will likely continue to increase. However, there is no accurate data on the number of children who have lost one or both parents to COVID-19.

Data from the COVID-19 task force indicates that that the age group mostly infected by COVID-19 in Indonesia is between 31 years and 45 years of age, which accounts for 28.8 percent of the total cases in the country. The next is the age group of between 19 years and 30 years at 24.9 percent and the age group of between 46 years and 59 years at 21.7 percent.

Meanwhile, most fatalities occur in the age group of above 60 years, which accounts for 46.5 percent, followed by the age group of between 46 years and 59 years at 36.8 percent and the age group of between 31 years and 45 years with 12.9 percent. The age group of up to 5 years and between 6 years and 18 years account for 0.5 percent each and the age group of between 19 years and 30 years account for 2.8 percent.

"More than half of the deaths from COVID-19 in Indonesia occur in the productive age, so the socioeconomic impact in the future is large. The long-term impact of this pandemic has not been taken into account," Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University, said on Saturday (221/8/2021).

Also read:

> Children\'s Rights Towards the Future

> Protect the Children

People of productive age who work during the pandemic have contributed to the high transmission and death rates in that age group, who are likely to have children. As a result, this will place a greater burden on children from poor families who lose their parents, affecting the quality of nutrition, education and social life of the children.

The chairman of the Zakat Forum, Bambang Suherman, said some of the children who had lost their parents during the pandemic came from underprivileged families.

"With the increasing number of orphans, there is a potential for a stunting generation due to malnutrition," he said.

Dicky estimates that the death rate of parents in Indonesia could be higher than in other countries. However, because of under-reporting and problems in data collection, it is difficult to analyze the real impacts.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

Students of the Prasasti Alam School, Piket Indah Village, Sukatenang Village, Sukawangi, Bekasi Regency, West Java, playing together in their school garden on Tuesday (24/11/2020) afternoon. These children are children who had dropped out of school, orphans, or children from poor families.

Data collection problem

Susan D Hills, an epidemiologist from the United States-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wrote in an article in The Lancet, July 20, 2021, that from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, about 1.13 million children had lost a primary caregiver, including one parent or grandparent. There are about 1.56 million children who have lost one primary or secondary caregiver.

In Indonesia, according to the COVID-19 task force, as of July 20, 2021, there were 11,045 children who have lost one parent or both parents to the disease. Meanwhile, data from the Imperial College London’s website compiled by Kompas Research and Development shows that the number of children who have lost their parents in Indonesia is estimated at 38,127.

The deputy for the coordination of quality improvement for children, women and youth at the Office of Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister, Femmy EK Putri, said the number of children who lost their parents to COVID-19 was still being recorded. The assistance is still based on temporary data.

"We use population and civil data," said Femmy.

Therefore, the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister has encouraged the acceleration of data collection for children who have lost their parents to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each ministry or agency is asked to support this process.

It is important to strengthen the data collection system.

The deputy for special protection of the Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, Nahar, said that based on data as of Friday (20/8), there were 3,730 half-orphans and double-orphans across 16 provinces, such as East Java, Central Java and South Kalimantan.

A member of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), Jasra Putra, said that although specific data on the number of half-orphans and double-orphans had not been established, the complaints received by the KPAI had been on the rise.

"It is important to strengthen the data collection system," said Jasra.

Data collection has also been carried out in a number of regions, including Jakarta, Central Java, East Java and Lampung. The head of the Social Services Agency of the East Java administration, Alwi, estimates that in East Java, more than 5,082 children have lost their parents to COVID-19. ( TAN/AIK/ NIK/ WER / DIT/ NCA /HLN/VIO/SKA/DIT/SON)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.