Ք REPORT Ք HUMAN RIGHTS 2021 ORPHAN REPORT APRIL 2021 CANSU NAR www.insamer.com [email protected] www.ihh.org.tr/en APRIL 2021 REPORT 2021 Orphan Report Report Human Rights April 2021 Prepared By Cansu Nar Executive Editor Dr. Ahmet Emin Dağ Editor Mervenur Lüleci Karadere For citation: Nar, Cansu. 2021 Orphan Report, INSAMER Report, April 2021. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this publication lies entirely with the authors. ©INSAMER 2021 All rights are reserved. The use of quotations is allowed only by providing reference. Nuhun Gemisi Cover and Page Design Nurgül Ersoy Printing: Pelikan Basım Ulubatlı Hasan Caddesi No. 2 H D Blok No. 19 Başakşehir – Istanbul INSAMER is a research center of IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation. HUMAN RIGHTS 2 iii CONTENTS Orphan and Orphanhood 1 Social Orphanhood and Child Abuse 5 State of Orphans in the World 8 Orphans as Victims of War 13 Vulnerable Child Refugees 14 Children With Real Weapons Made 16 of Iron Instead of Toys Consequences of Child Poverty 17 Child Labor 19 Babylift Operations Continue 21 The Forgotten Ones During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Child 23 Refugees Refugees and Global Child Trade 25 Importance of Education for 29 Orphans Endnotes 32 Annex - IHH Orphan Aid Activity 35 Karagümrük Mh. Kaleboyu Cd. Muhtar Muhittin Sk. No:6 PK.34091 Fatih / İstanbul - TURKEY www.insamer.com • info.insamer.com APRIL 2021 REPORT ORPHAN AND ORPHANHOOD One definition of orphan all cultures agree their parents or both. In the Islamic on is a pre-adolescent child who has lost tradition, a paternal orphan is a child who has lost a father while a mater- either of their parents or both. nal orphan is a child who has lost a mother. Apart from these, there is also the concept of the social orphanhood, referring to children with at least one Childhood refers to the period of parent alive who does not fulfil their childhood and adolescence. The task parental obligations. of parents is to satisfy both the physi- ological and psychosocial needs of the The first 18 years of human life con- child, give them a good education and stitute not only a period of physical prepare them for life’s challenges. Every development, but can also be defined child who goes through this most crit- as a period of sociological interac- ical phase of life without enjoying pa- tions with psychological effects. So, rental care is considered an orphan. circumstances a child faces early in life, determine not just their prospects Today’s social and economic problems in adult life, but also has serious im- create new definitions of orphanhood. plications for the mental health of a If the necessary precautions are not society as a whole. taken with regard to the most fragile members of the society, it seems in- According to UNICEF (United Nations evitable that the problem will become Children’s Fund), about 10,000 chil- much more devastating. Although it dren are left either paternal or ma- may show variations, one definition of ternal orphans every day across the orphan all cultures agree on is a pre-ad- world. Internationally accepted figures olescent child who has lost either of also indicate that number of orphan HUMAN RIGHTS 1 2 children around the world is at least Almost 750,000 people have died in 140 million; however, based on many natural disasters in the last 20 years, evidences suggesting that there are and as a result, hundreds of thousands millions of orphan or abandoned chil- of children became orphans or left dren which are not included in the without parental support. 79% of these official statistics, this figure is actually deaths occurred in poor Asian coun- much greater. tries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, India and the Philippines, When a child loses either of their the countries with the highest number parents or both, they face so many of orphans. economic and mental issues down the line. For example, an average of 10,000 Another common cause is chron- children die every day as a result of ic illness or disease outbreaks. Poor war, poverty, hunger or similar caus- health services or a rapidly-spread- es. The majority of these children are ing pandemic can lead to a significant known to be orphan and abandoned. number of loss of lives. While 68% of The available data show that most of all deaths worldwide are caused by the countries where the situation is non-contagious diseases, 22.5% are most worrying are in sub-Saharan caused by contagious ones. Africa and South Asia.1 Poor health infrastructure is one of Without a doubt, one of the most the most frequent causes of death for common reasons leading to children parents in economically underdevel- becoming orphans is natural disasters. oped countries. It is not known exactly APRIL 2021 REPORT occurred in Islamic countries.2 Due to Poor health infrastructure is one of the the war in Syria, which is considered as most frequent causes of death for parents the biggest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, 9,200,000 children in economically underdeveloped countries. under the age of 18 lost their homes or It is not known exactly how many children families.3 Although the actual figures become orphans each year due to these for Syrian orphans are not known due to mortalities. the continuous relocation of refugees, it is estimated that almost 1 million chil- dren became orphans due to the war. how many children become orphans each year due to these mortalities. The When a child loses either or both of figures show that between 2000 and his parents or when parents do/can not 2014 there were about 15 doctors and fulfill their parental duties, this leaves 33 nurses per 10,000 people in the en- the child exposed to myriad dangers. tire world. It is reported that in Islamic Orphans or children abandoned by countries there are 8 doctors and 18 their parents become vulnerable and nurses per 10,000 people. Available defenseless; whereas children under data show that Somalia, Niger, Sierra the care of their parents live in a rela- Leone, Chad and Afghanistan are the tively better protected way in case of countries in the worst situation in war, natural disasters, poverty or dis- terms of deaths due to poor health ease. At this point, it must be stressed services. The number of doctors and that the problems of orphans are not nurses per 10,000 people is as follows isolated cases; for it should be remem- in these countries: Somalia (1-5), Niger bered that children without access to (1-6), Sierra Leone (1-9), Chad (2-3) safe and healthy environments grow up and Afghanistan (2-7). to become problematic adults, leading to other serious social problems. Today, about 140 out of every 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and Orphans and abandoned children 60 die worldwide due to infectious or are barely able to maintain a decent non-infectious diseases. This means a standard of living, making them more large number of children left behind likely to be exposed to risks and dan- who need looking after. gers. Such children can easily fall into the clutches of malevolent people or Wars or conflicts are among one of the criminal gangs in exchange for basic leading causes of orphanhood. For ex- needs such as shelter and food or to ample, in 2018 alone almost 100,000 satisfy emotional needs, like a sense people died in armed clashes, and of belonging. tens of thousands of children became orphans or were deprived of parental Big migration movements caused by care in the process. 80% of these deaths war, natural disasters, poverty etc. re- HUMAN RIGHTS 3 4 sult in tens of thousands of children be- reports show that tens of thousands of ing relocated unaccompanied by their children that migrated to Europe as a parents or unprotected. It is noted that refugee following the war in Syria are today in many European countries, now considered missing.4 thousands of children are on the list of missing children and thousands are Intensive missionary activities in plac- not included in any list because they es of poverty and famine, especially in have no birth registration. It is also the countries of the African continent, known that migrating orphans and un- are among the major threats to or- protected children are targeted by var- phans. For example, children are taken ious criminal organizations involved in to orphanages established by Western human trafficking, either in their own missionary organizations and brain- country of origin or during migration washed to change their religion; ex- to other places. For instance, some ploiting their economic disadvantage. APRIL 2021 REPORT SOCIAL ORPHANHOOD AND CHILD ABUSE During the childhood, the most impor- Social orphanhood might occur due to tant period of human life, fulfillment of irresponsible parents, social and family all physiological and psychological needs problems, extra-marital births, early or of individuals from nutrition to education unwanted motherhood and many other is considered as the duty of parents or factors.6 Mental health problems, domes- the state.5 In today's world, however, it is tic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, known that there are millions of children physical and mental disability, poverty, neglected by their parents even though heavy work conditions, working away they are alive. This state of children go- from the family, socializing outside the ing through various deprivations due to home, internet and social media addiction parents' failure to perform their duties is can also lead to a deterioration of fam- referred to as social orphanhood.