“To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making”-Alfie Kohn
The childcare crisis that prevails across the globe is an all-encompassing crisis of the family. Early childhood care and development is still not a privilege to a majority of children. The causes for the same includes the parent’s long working hours which demand the younger kids to look after themselves. According to a study conducted by UNICEF, about 40 per cent of children in developing countries in the age group 3 to 5 are left with no social and emotional care. Most of the children are left to their grandparents or elders who are unable to opt for paid work. Children from poor households are exposed to inappropriate or inadequate support which is much worse than no care. The most popular concept that “education begins at home” is turning an unfamiliar notion for the children.
The inadequacy in child care points to the employment of parents in order to make ends meet, yet unable to fulfil the basic support and care during pre-development stages. In most developing countries childcare and women’s employment are interlinked. On average the combined time spent on paid and unpaid work by men and women shows that women still spend 5 weeks or more per year than men. In low-income countries, more women are engaging in care works than men and thus taking up the work outside and inside the house.
The pandemic has played its role in the decline in childcare and household developments across the globe. India has witnessed the plight of migrant workers who lost their jobs in the city amidst the pandemic and had to move to their villages. The media posts and videos on young and adult migrant workers walking hundreds of miles under harsh weather to return to their hometown during lockdown are still afresh in our mind. The employment decline and inadequate wages in poor households have adversely affected the health and nourishment of children and adults.
The lockdown has disrupted the education processes as well. Although the government took proper measures to keep the classes going through online mode by providing free laptops and gadgets, the scheme did not cover most of the poor households.
The basic foundation of education and health care are deprived among children in developing nations. Around 35 million children below the age of five are left without proper adult supervision. The major cause being the pressure of balancing the household along with the paid employment.
Women engaged in paid work must be given the opportunity to nurture their young ones till they reach the age of one. The hard truth is that, in India, only around 1 per cent of women enjoy the benefits of maternity leave. The government and policymakers must try to strike the balance between parent’s employment and childcare with the provision of nourishing the kids from birth. So the call of action is to smoothen the rough edges for giving the children their fair share of life.
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