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Social Challenges during Pandemic, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected approximately 14 million people and the death toll has surpassed 600,000 across the world. India too is brutally hit with cases increasing each day. Right now we are at 3rd position with most number of cases in the world. The first case of COVID-19 in India was reported on January 30, 2020 and as of July, 2020, confirmed cases stand at 11 lakhs with more than 1500 deaths in the past one week in the country. The impact of the pandemic is visible across every sector globally, but its impact on marginalized sections, women and children has been immense in India. This crisis is going to affect the economy like never before leading to massive psycho-social impacts as well.


  • Women are at greater risk from the health perspective. Homes which were already unsafe along with families living in poor and substandard conditions have added on to the social inequities like gender-based violence and child abuse, lack of security, money, health and jobs. Unplanned lockdown extensions in the country made it more difficult for them to seek help. Resource limitations for women has brought in a situation where women tend to neglect their own paramount requirements like menstrual hygiene, mental health and her nutrition while prioritizing life and budgets of others in the family.


  • Conditions have all the more affected the other half of the population globally and particularly in India where abrupt lockdown has brought millions below the poverty line struggling for basic needs like food and shelter which then leads to unequal share in domestic responsibilities, to violence against the vulnerable members of the household.


  • Social stress caused by lockdown has many faces and reasons resulting from travelling restrictions and halt in cultural celebrations, limited healthcare facilities and interruption in regular immunisations in hospitals leading to anxiety and fear among the population, social distancing with friends and family, closure of places of entertainment and leisure, unplanned closure of schools and colleges affecting both students and parents regarding the academic year and loss of proper education during this period.


  • The issue of migrant workers was one of the most cruel and highlighted in this pandemic where millions were given unemployed and stranded without money, food and shelter, criss-crossing the country’s highways to return to their villages and several meeting with accidents and deaths on their way. Unemployment has rendered a large section as directionless, leaving the social health as well as economy in a lump.


  • Several forms of racism triggered the division among the people of India and other global counterparts. The history of religious hatred, caste based discrimination is equally dangerous to mankind where the less informed and biased media as well as people with specific agendas tried to damage the social harmony of the country and created a big social stain in the time of COVID-19.


One community being labelled as the cause of spread of virus in the country showed us the social injustice in India. Racism against the Chinese and other Asians elsewhere around the world and calling it a Chinese virus due to its origin, showed the deteriorated levels of sensitivity among the world population.



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