Covid-19- Spare a thought for minor children

The child protection sector is relieved that in terms of infection, Covid-19 seems to have spared young children.

But at the same time, we are concerned that Covid -19 has negatively affected the environment in which children are growing up.
Covid-19 has affected the extent to which adults can support one another in their parenting roles by forcing all of us into a lockdown.

Some adults need support in their parenting roles.  These include adolescent mothers, for example, who became parents at a time they were just about to graduate from being children into adulthood.

Children of adolescent mothers are bound face more negative effects because of the limited social support their mothers get.
The second issue we are concerned about is the impeded access to education.

Children have been out of school for longer than a normal school holiday.

Research shows that when children go on breaks their memory of what they would have learnt during the term is affected negatively.
They tend to forget, particularly the younger children.

But we are happy with the efforts to have radio lessons.  Some teachers have even taken an initiative to offer WhatsApp lessons etc.

But still the negative impact of children not being able to come together and play with one another still remains.

Children are really expressive and social people and this has been taken from them.

There are some children who depend on the school for social support. Some children are growing in abusive family environments and get their only support from the school.

There are children who come from different circumstances and get their only proper meal at school or from their classmates.

So all these children are in extremely difficult circumstances right now.

Some children are growing in outright abusive families and the school is no longer there to be the first line of reporting abuse.

They don’t have any other person to interact with and report abuse.

We have not carried out a study as yet, but are worried that child abuse might actually rise at family level.

We are also worried about the possibility of online abuse of children because some are spending more time on the internet than what is healthy.

A case in point is that of a child who was recorded while trying to sing what is ordinarily a religious song. The girl got the lyrics wrong and sang something embarrassing.

What is sad is that an adult recorded her and circulated the video on WhatsApp.

That’s cyber abuse of children and we are afraid that as people spend more time indoors, the lack of entertainment might actually result in more child abuse at family level.

We are also worried that the church gatherings that also function as sources of social support for some families and children are not able to continue happening.

However, we are relieved that President Mnangagwa relaxed lockdown restrictions to allow 50 people to congregate. This may mean that children will be kept away from the churches.

Covid-19 and the necessary response to it has created an atmosphere that is not conducive for children to flourish and reach their full potential.

We recommend that parents try and maintain that environment for children so that they are able to play.

Parents can also come up with games that they can play with children as families.

We are also aware that some people live in very crowded environments and might not even have space to play.

We are encouraging parents and caregivers to create an atmosphere where children can play and exercise their right to be children.

We are also encouraging parents and caregivers to ensure that the learning spirit is maintained by trying to keep their children reading, doing their spellings and any other ways that ensure they somehow continue to learn.

We are also encouraging parents and caregivers to start practicing back to school conduct with their caregivers.

It’s not going to be easy.

Adults are finding it difficult to comply with the social distancing requirements with some forgetting to wash their hands.

So imagine a seven-year-old.

We are encouraging parents and caregivers to start practicing what it will be like when they get back to school.

It is also important to explain to children why they can no longer touch their friends and share food with them.

We should come up with ways children can express care for their friends. Such ways should not involve touching or exchange of food.
For me online learning should not be the first option.

We need to strengthen our radio lessons. Voices of broadcasters will represent a teacher and children will relate more to it.

But yes, we also have to use online access, positively.

Parents should be able to monitor what their children are accessing online and if a child has a phone, they should not have it 24 hours a day.

A child’s access to a phone should be monitored and the child should only have it during WhatsApp lessons conducted by a teacher.

Once the child has transcribed the lessons onto a paper the phone should be taken away to allow him or her to continue working.

Remember, they also have to continue to practice writing.

As such, kids cannot constantly be online as an excuse saying they are learning.

Parents should be more involved with what their children are doing.

If we all make an effort as parents, we will be able to beat Covid- 19.

This is also an opportunity for parents to bond with their children and have those difficult discussions with them.

It is a good time to talk to them without always being a disciplinarian. For example, teenage children should have discussions about HIV, dating and sexual reproductive health issues.

We might come out of this with stronger relationships at family level.