More than five million million children have lost a parent or caregiver to covid
At least 5.2 million children under the age of 18 have lost a parent or caregiver since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study model published this Thursday by “The Lancet”.
The research, led by Imperial College London (United Kingdom) with mortality data from 20 countries, highlights that the group of adolescents between 10 and 17 years of age is the most affected, since up to 2.1 million lost a parent or caregiver for covid-19.
This type of orphanhood linked to the pandemic also affected almost 500,000 children between zero and four years old and 740,000 between five and nine, according to data updated by experts in July 2021.
The study establishes that the number of affected children almost doubled in the six months from May 1, 2021 to October 31 of that year, compared to the number recorded during the first 14 months of the pandemic (from the 1 of March 2020 through April 30, 2021).
Overall, the authors note, the research suggests that the death rate from COVID-19 “disproportionately” affected male parents or caregivers.
In this sense, three out of four children under the age of 18 who suffered orphanhood, around 75%, lost their father or caregiver.
In general, they point out, being orphaned by covid increases the risk of children suffering from poverty, sexual exploitation and abuse or violence, HIV infection, mental health challenges and serious distress, as well as, in some contexts, a propensity to become involved in gangs. youth and violent extremism.
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