Proceedings of the World Conference on Children and Youth

Student Transition During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case of Ho Chi Minh City

Migyu Kang — 2022-11-03

The purpose of this study is to examine further the reason students made a smooth transition from face-to-face to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. To do this, the researcher compares the data collected for the previous study (Kang & Duong, 2021) with the data collected in 2022 still amid the pandemic. The previous study by Kang & Duong (2021) was on student perceptions of first-time online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. According to the results of the data analysis by Kang & Duong (2021), flexibility (time, learning), live platform(s), such as Zoom and Google Classroom, comfort with online technologies, and lesson delivery were ranked in the top four helpful components of first-time online learning; internet access, technical problems, harder to pay attention, and lack of community were ranked in the top four challenging components. Based on the survey conducted in 2022, the researcher could find out further why the participants in the previous study (Kang & Duong, 2021) could make a smooth transition to their first-time online learning.

Effect of Covid-19 On Play and Recreation in Urban Slums of India: Perception of Adolescent Girls

Manish Thakre — 2022-11-03

As per Save the Children, WINGS Report (2018), only 20 percent of girls have access to playgrounds. Adolescent girls (10-18 years) from slums - face numerous challenges in realizing their right to access to safe, and inclusive spaces for play and recreation. COVID-19 has further exacerbated the already restricted access to play and recreation for girls. For many girls from informal settlements, playtime in school is the only opportunity for recreation, leisure, and meeting their friends. For this study, we adopted a mixed-methods approach; mainly a representative quantitative survey, focus group discussions, key-informant interviews. The survey uses the recall method to compare their situation between two timelines - (1) during lockdown (April to June 2020); (2) three months before the time of interview (November to January). In some questions, a third-time dimension was added to seek additional information on the situation before the pandemic. Data was collected from four states (Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Telangana). Two cities were selected from each state. Data has been collected from 1,092 girls and their mothers from the randomly selected slums. The survey was conducted during the first two weeks of February 2021. Nine out of ten mother respondents (88%) perceive play and recreation to be extremely important for girls. 50% girls reported that they missed the journey of going and coming back from school with their siblings and friends. Before the lockdown, streets were the preferred outdoor spaces for girls (40%). One in two girls (51%) reported that they were watching TV more as compared to pre-pandemic days. This was followed by household chores (two in five girls, 43%), use of mobile phones (two in five girls, 39%), and playing board games (one in three girls, 33%). There is an urgent need for multi-pronged efforts that should range from sensitization of city governments to investing in co-creating infrastructure and services - that enable girls to have safe access to play and recreation activities.

Hazardous Child Labor in Bangladesh: A Critical Evaluation of The Legal and Policy Framework Vis A Vis Practical Challenges

Md Mahmudul Hoque — 2022-11-03

Bangladesh is a signatory of the International Labor Organization’s two landmark conventions on child labor – No.138 on Minimum Age and No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. The Bangladesh Labor Act, 2006 prohibits the employment of any child in child labor’s worst forms, including hazardous ones. To eliminate hazardous child labor (HCL) from the country, the government published a list of 38 activities/processes as hazardous to children. However, emerging data suggest that HCL still exists widely in the country, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation. The review of existing evidence and relevant reports evinces that the country’s current policies inadequately address the status and remedies of HCL. Based on the author’s desk review, observational experience and visual work, this paper evaluates the competence of the hazardous labor list and current legal protections for children. The findings suggest that lack of implementation, reporting and monitoring opens the floodgate for employers to informally employ children in hazardous work and take advantage of the legal lacunae. Destitute families and street children lack citizenship documents and become easy victims of exploitative employment. The analysis informs that the country’s existing legislative framework and protection policies are critically inadequate to cease HCL in urban areas.