User:Aryenxan/sandbox/Impact of Covid19 Pandemic on Children in Turkey

Impact of Covid19 Pandemic on Children in Turkey

Considering the effects of the Covid-19 epidemic on different age groups, the access to health services and social care needs of aged individuals have been at the center of social policy discussions in different countries.

Among all age groups, especially children received less attention in the early stages of the epidemic due to their low risk of contracting the disease and low mortality rates, and therefore not being a risk group directly affected by Covid-19.

In order to slow down the epidemic, Turkey has imposed a curfew for certain age groups. In the days following the detection of the first Covid-19 case on March 11 of 2020, a curfew was imposed first on individuals over the age of 65 and on children under the age of 20 as of April 3 of 2020 (the ban was reduced to under 18 on May 20). Schools were closed on March 16 of 2020 and as of March 23 of 2020, distance education was started via Education Information Tool (EBA) or online education channels.

In this context, it would be appropriate to examine the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on children under four headings: The effect of the epidemic on increasing child poverty. Clarification of children's home-based inequalities. Increasing domestic violence with inequalities in access to education and confinement. On the other hand, the failure to record child neglect and abuse cases.

Research shows that child abuse is increasing all over the world during the covid19 pandemic process. New York, 20 March 2020 – Hundreds of millions of children around the world will likely face increasing threats to their safety and wellbeing – including mistreatment, gender-based violence, exploitation, social exclusion and separation from caregivers – because of actions taken to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the news of Deutsche Welle (DW): In 2020, when the coronavirus and closure measures dominated, there was a huge increase in sexual abuse, murder and non-sexual violence against children.The biggest increase occurred on the internet.

As in the whole world, an increase in child abuse has been recorded in Turkey during the pandemic period. 211 cases were evaluated in March-April 2019 and 98 cases were evaluated in March-April 2020 in Antalya Center. The age range of all cases varied between 1-18, and the average age was 12.95 ± 3.24. 257 (83.2%) of the cases were girls. Considering the reporters and their rates, it was found that the most frequent reporters in the control group were teachers, then parents, while the most frequent reporters in the study group were parents, then teachers. While the ratio of the offender to be lover-friend in the control group was 40.8%, this ratio decreased to 24.5% in the study group. While the risk factors of child sexual abuse increased during the pandemic period, the rate of reporting decreased during the same period.

At the same time, assignments for child sexual abuse have decreased during the pandemic period. For example, while the assignment made for the crime of child sexual abuse was 99 between March 10, 2020 and May 07, 2020, this number was 160 in the same period in 2019, 211 in 2018, 244 in 2017, 154 in 2016, and 74 in 2015. Looking at the January, February and March assignments of 2020, while the assignment for sexual abuse in February was 157, it was 32 in March.

Another issue that affected children was staying at home and continuing their education online. Staying at home and being away from the school environment have negative effects on mental and physical health. This problem, which may be important in children and adolescents, can be easily overlooked.

A significant proportion of children do not experience a severe mental disorder, although they may temporarily show some symptoms of anxiety, insomnia and concentration problems. However, those who have previously had various mental problems or traumatic experiences, those who have family problems or those who have lost their relatives are at increased risk of mental disorders.

It can be said that most of the students follow distance education through television, and access to EBA non-TV educational platforms is not possible especially for children from vulnerable groups(like Romanian refugees). 22 Access to education already includes inequalities in relation to the socioeconomic level of students' families, as well as gender, mother tongue, and immigration history. 23 With the introduction of distance education, education-based inequalities have become more visible and deepened. It can be said that most of the students follow distance education through television, and access to education platforms other than EBA TV is not possible especially for children from vulnerable groups(like Romanian refugees). 23 With the introduction of distance education, education-based inequalities became more visible and deepened.

The Covid19 pandemic appears to have had a serious impact on the poverty of families. According to Analysis by Save the Children and UNICEF, the number of children living in poverty in low- and middle-income countries could increase by 15% to reach 672 million.

Turkey with 25% (South from Africa and Costa Rica after) with the highest rate of child poverty one of the OECD countries.