Study: Over 40% Bangladeshi children believe life will be more difficult after lockdown

About 40% of Bangladeshi children believe that life after the coronavirus lockdown will be more complicated, study says.

The figures were revealed in a global survey conducted by Educo to assess the feelings and experiences of children and youth during the Covid-19 pandemic, said a media statement on Wednesday.

The study also found that children in Bangladesh were worried most about their family’s finances. 

20% of Bangladeshi children said they were most concerned about adults not being able to go back to work, according to the study. 

“Children are very aware of what is going on around them and the impact of the situation on the family. Although children are not normally seen as the face of this pandemic, we know from experience that such economic hardships have a tremendous effect on their emotional and mental wellbeing,” said Abdul Hamid, country director, Educo Bangladesh. 

According to the study, about 22% of the children said they missed seeing friends while 21% of them said they missed going to school.

“All of these results show the importance of relationships, especially friendships and surroundings of educational institutes, in their lives,” says Ehsanul Hoque, Programme Specialist - Child Protection, Terre des Hommes Netherlands.

“School is not just a place where children go to learn their lessons. It is also a place for relationships, diversity and personal growth through which they access new experiences and opportunities for their development as a whole,” Ehsanul Haque added.

About 22% of the participants said what they most appreciated about the current situation was being able to spend more time with their families.

Bearing in mind the insecure situation in which many of the children live, nearly 17% have also said that they feel safer at home.

Globally, 18% of respondents across the globe said they thought their situation after the lockdown would be worse, while 29% were not sure about what their future would look like.

When asked about what worried them the most, 22% of the respondents globally said that they or their families might get sick.

The study was conducted in 20 countries in Africa, America, Asia and Europe. Around the globe, more than 4,500 children and youth aged between 5 and 24 years participated in the study. 

In Bangladesh, some 500 children participated in this global survey through online and phone interviews.