Orphans

Orphans are defined as children (age 0–17) who have lost their parents through death or abandonment. Children who have lost one parent are described as single orphans, while those who have lost both parents are known as double orphans. Those who have lost their mothers are known as maternal orphans, and those who have lost fathers as paternal orphans. The reasons children become orphans are varied. Parents may die due to physical or mental illness, accidents, natural or man-made disasters, crime, violence, war, drug use, suicide, murder, HIV/AIDS, and endemic or epidemic plagues. The death rates of young adults in countries with poor health care support and poor occupational safety are higher than in more developed [Page 792]societies with effective health and welfare provision. Deaths of young adults are more likely to leave young children orphaned.

Children are abandoned by their parents for a number of reasons. Causes of abandonment may be due to political instability, asylum seeking, unwanted pregnancies, poverty, rape, gender selection (prefer boys, kill or throw away girls), government policies (for instance, one child per couple policy and no support for children of migrant workers in China), unwillingness to keep sick children (medical costs are unaffordable) or disabled children (infants with observable disabilities or deformities), imprisonment of parents, and political persecution.

Numbers of Orphans

There is no reliable worldwide estimate of orphans, although a number of international organizations have attempted to give an idea of the extent of the problem, including UNICEF, UNAIDS, and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). According to their figures in 2006, there are more than 132 million orphans (including those who have lost one or both parents) in the 5 most affected regions of the world (sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean). They estimate that over 10#x0025; of all orphans in these regions have lost both parents. The percentage of double orphans out of the total population of children in sub-Saharan Africa is 2.4#x0025;, and in Latin America and the Caribbean it is 2.6#x0025;, which is 3 times greater than their worldwide estimate of the percentage of all children who are double orphans (0.8#x0025;).

If single orphans are included in the analysis, the percentage is even more alarming. Compared to Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, where 6#x0025; of all children are orphans, 12#x0025; of all children in sub-Saharan Africa are orphans. The large numbers of adult deaths in poverty-stricken areas is also due to a lack of safe drinking water, poor nutrition and hygiene, lack of affordable and accessible health care, infectious diseases, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, war, racial conflict, and violence. Poor maternity care often results in high rates of maternal mortality, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. With economic growth and vigorous attempts to eradicate poverty, the number of orphans in Asia, Latin America, and Caribbean is expected to drop. Unfortunately, the number of orphans in sub-Saharan Africa is still expected to rise due to uncontrolled and untreated HIV/AIDS.

AIDS Orphans

The numbers of orphans are extremely high in some regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria alone has an estimated 930,000 AIDS orphans. The role of AIDS in creating orphans in Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Botswana has been widely reported. In a study of a rural community in western Kenya, 1 out of 3 children below 18 years of age had lost at least 1 biological parent, and 1 out of 9 had lost both. Another study of AIDS orphans in Kenya found that more than 12#x0025; of orphaned children wished that they were dead, compared to less than 3#x0025; of nonorphaned children. Many of the orphaned children suffered from poor sleep, stomach problems, and had little hope for their future.

...