Children who have lost their parents to COVID-19 have not been given enough assistance. In order to safeguard their future, they need guidance over the long term.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·5 minutes read
Kompas/Totok Wijayanto
Ririn (18, right) and her friends make a pilgrimage to his father\'s grave, at the Covid-19 special cemetery, Rorotan TPU, North Jakarta, Friday (20/8/2021). Covid-19 causes many children to lose their parents.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Children who have lost their parents to COVID-19 not only need short-term support but also long-term psychosocial guidance. For well-targeted support and guidance, accurate data on their conditions and needs is required.
Accurate data on the children’s circumstances when they no longer have parents is very important. Those who have suddenly lost their parents are facing various risk factors, so it is necessary to record their ages, socioeconomic conditions, family support levels and environment.
“The children deprived of their parents constitute a hidden pandemic that so far has not been taken into account. They need support as speedily as possible to overcome their psychological burden. They need long-term guidance,” said the chairman of the Social and Crisis Intervention Laboratory at the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Psychology, Dicky Pelupessy, in Jakarta on Monday (23/8/2021).
The abrupt loss of parents imposes a considerable psychological and social burden on a child. This psychosocial aspect should receive primary attention, besides their economic and educational aid.
Typically in Indonesia, children who have lost their parents will be looked after by their extended families. However, during the pandemic, many of their families are also undergoing health and socioeconomic issues so their ability to support others is reduced.
With the complex problems encountered by the children, a special task force is needed for the protection of children orphaned by the pandemic that involves several parties “so that there’s a strategy for child protection over the long term”, Dicky said.
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.
Wahyu Kustiningsih, a sociologist at Gadjah Mada University, said leaving orphans to their extended families would by no means solve the problem. The new families for these children should be guided. “If the children are left to their extended families, the closest neighborhood vicinities need to monitor them,” she said.
Child and family psychologist Mira Amir mentioned the need for adult company to give children the chance to mourn, without forcing them to hastily push away their sadness and mingle with their new foster family. Children in mourning may lose their motivation to attend school and feel depressed. “If the children are unable to think ahead, teach them to focus on today. Make sure they can eat, sleep and follow school lessons,” said Mira.
As of July 20 of this year, according to the national COVID-19 task force, 11,045 children had been orphaned or had lost one of their parents to Covid-19. Data from Imperial College London summarized by the Research and Development division of Kompas predicted that the number of orphaned children in Indonesia had reached 38,127.
Foster parents
In East Java, children who have lost their parents to COVID-19 and have not yet been fostered will be handled by the Technical Executive Unit of the East Java Social Affairs Office. In Sidoarjo, East Java, in addition to social aid, the regency administration provides scholarships. The Lampung provincial administration is deliberating on an educational guarantee for childen orphaned by the pandemic.
Central Java Deputy Governor Taj Yasin Maimoen has invited residents to become foster parents of pandemic orphans. The Central Java provincial administration and the Central Java Regional Police provide aid from the regional budget and the National Zakat Agency.
PEMERINTAH KOTA SURABAYA
Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi encourages children who have lost their parents during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Surabaya, East Java, there are around 1,400 families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, so that children become orphans.
A number of nongovernmental organizations have joined the effort to support pandemic orphans. Gusdurian Peduli, for instance, offers aid and long-term psychological and social guidance, support for survival and long-term social protection.
In Yogyakarta, several villages are recording data on such orphans. Head of Banguntapan district, Bantul, Fauzan, compiles detailed data on children’s conditions and the guidance needed. “With this data, some donors are listed. There are even residents interested in adoption,” he said.
Deputy for the Coordination of Quality Promotion for Children, Women and Youths at the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister, Femmy EK Putri, said further coordination would be needed. A target has been set to finish data compilation this week so that the program to support children impacted by COVID-19 will soon be executed.
With this data, some donors are listed. There are even residents interested in adoption.
It was acknowledged, though, that the interministerial, interagency program for the protection of orphaned children during the pandemic was not yet optimal. The budget to support pandemic child victims is not big and the provision of aid is not yet integrated. The number of children supposed to receive aid has not been recorded, so there is a fear of the program overlapping.
Therefore, the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister will coordinate relevant ministries and agencies. The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry is responsible for child fostering, the Social Affairs Ministry for social aid and psychological support, the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry for an educational guarantee through the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP), and the Health Ministry for the health guarantee.
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