COVID 19: A time of Grace or missed Opportunity
by Sister Julie George SSPS
March 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of the nation-wide lockdown in India due to the spread of Covid-19. The pandemic has played a vital role in highlighting the inequalities in the society and it exposed the myth that everyone is equal. It uncovered several lacunas in the system especially with regard to distribution of basic requirements and amenities. Thus for the ordinary people the year 2020 can best be described as a year of devastating grief, pain and of endless hope.
The closure of government schools disrupted the mid day meal scheme which feeds millions of school going children. Many of those children depend on mid day meal for their nutritional intake. The online classes put the poor children in great difficulty without having access to computers, smart phones and internet facilities. Children residing in posh area had Wi-Fi connections and found classes from home to be amazing and effortless, while others could barely attend. The crisis has put the future of young people at risk, without having access to education, especially the economically and socially excluded groups.
Though women have shown great strength and leadership in managing the uncertainties and challenges unleashed by the pandemic, it has disproportionately affected women, specifically those work in the informal sector such as migrant workers and domestic workers etc, have been worst hit due to the pandemic induced economic slowdown. For many women, they have to struggle in the tiny and crowded homes, learning to stay safe because home is a place of violence and abuse for many women across class, caste and religion.
Wealth of India’s super rich grows by 20% amid Covid; Mumbai home to 26% wealth creators, reads a report in Financial Express. For some the lockdown was a time of grace. It was an opportunity to deepen their relationship with God and with one another as well as to spend quality time with each other. It is a luxury available only for less than 10% of India’s population. Whereas more than 90% of people work in the informal sector and live in slums and bastis, and “stay at home” becomes more punishing because of the consequences of staying at home for those women who are vulnerable to domestic violence and abuse.
Stressful situations resulting from the lockdown like confinement within the limited household space, anxieties about losing employment, debts and lack of basic amenities, all contributed to aggravating violence against women and children, who are most susceptible in these circumstances. One of such cases that we are dealing with is of a minor girl who was molested by her father. The man was in the jail but due to increase in number of Covid patients among the inmates, the jail authorities released him for a temporary period. The mother and daughter had to stay with him in the same one room house for some time, till the concerned authorities took cognizance of it and asked him to stay away from the girl. As it is they live on the edge with no possibility of maintaining physical distancing given the crammed one room and the dense neighbourhoods they live in.
The most shattering factor of the pandemic for women facing violence is isolation. Being locked in with their perpetrators amidst fear, uncertainty, and financial insecurity is terrifying. Often there is lack of privacy and space, hence their communications are being monitored and it limits them from seeking external support. Legal solution and support systems, particularly getting them out of the unsafe environment etc, were not possible immediately in a pandemic situation. This time was a grim reminder that home is not the safe haven as we imagined it to be. They may be protected from the Corona virus, but there are other horrifying situations lie in wait around women staying indoors. The frequency and intensity of violence against women also increased with the pandemic since many were cut off from family, friends, colleagues, and other support systems.
Expectant mothers had to face challenges in accessing health care due to the closure of clinics, outpatient departments of hospitals. Women who delivered with virus can recount their nightmares of not getting hospital beds in Covid hospitals, going through lonely labour pains in the hospitals, unable to breast feed the child and had to wait for days to have a look at the newborn. I am sure these memories will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
The spread of disease was rapid among poor communities living in crammed areas with poor sanitation and using shared common facilities and it exposed the marginalized communities to greater vulnerability. None of us could forget the visuals we watched on television the plight of the migrant workers. Thousands of women and men - young and old alike, along with their children, walking mile and miles, crossing rivers and seas to reach their villages. On the way some lost life, some gave birth to new life, they braved all odds to reach the destination.
The irony is that India’s wealthiest people not only escaped the worst impact of the pandemic, but they have increased their income, while the bulk of the population grappled with loss. The response of the majority in the Church to the pandemic was withdrawal into the comfort of their residence. At the same time there was multiplication of online masses, retreats, novenas and holy hours. Some of the preachers had the temerity to attribute the decrease in pandemic to their prayers and people taking part in various devotions. Telecasting masses and novenas also fetched them income by charging the faithful who wanted to pray for their special intentions. Some groups used this as a platform for advertising the courses and seminars and it was displayed immediately after the holy mass. There is nothing wrong in praying. But along with prayers we should be the bearers of comfort, hope, healing and compassion. It could have been a time of grace for the Church, if the Church could have responded adequately to the needs of the people.
If we look at the history of Christianity, the Church had been in the forefront for responding to the needs of the pandemic situations, burying the dead, feeding the hungry and healing the sick. We have a few well known examples of such interventions. Bishop Cyprian of Roman Empire in AD 249 to 262 encouraged the Christians to risk their own lives to care for the sick and dying, when the country was hit by plague. From the rich, he asked for funds; from the poor he requested service. He organized the Christian response and encouraged believers not to make any distinction between caring for fellow Christians and caring for pagans. The sacrificial care of Christians has reappeared throughout history. In 1527, when the plague hit Wittenberg, Martin Luther refused to flee the city to protect him. He provided a clear articulation of the Christian epidemic response, “We die at our posts. The plague does not dissolve our duties: It turns them to crosses, on which we must be prepared to die”.
The pandemic opened up immense possibilities of charting new ways of being the Church in today’s world. But did we miss the chance? Except for a few Church institutions and Social action groups who worked tirelessly to feed the hungry and provide health care, the majority mostly withdrew to the comfort of their houses. When the lockdown was lifted, it was a time for arranging group retreats and gatherings where some even contracted the virus.
As a Church we need courage and faith to build innovative ways of reaching those on the margins. We need leaders with confidence and creativity that encourages and enables the faithful to go the lanes and by lanes, to the poor and needy. We need to get out of our comfort zones. As Pope Francis reminds us that, “True leadership emanates from the margins. The credibility of the Church and of the Christian message rests entirely on how Christians serve those marginalized by society. Serve Jesus crucified in every person who is marginalized”.
