In the developed world
orphans are relatively rare, since most children can reasonably expect both
parents to survive their childhood, but in countries that have been and are
subjected to wars and great epidemics such as AIDS, there are
significant numbers of orphans.
It is estimated, for
instance, that World War II created millions of orphans I Europe, with 300,000
orphans in Poland and 200,000 in Yugoslavia alone.
Today in Afghanistan,
after nearly 30 years of fighting, there are now over two million orphaned children
with over 600,000 sleeping on the streets. Over a million suffer from
post-traumatic stress syndrome and the prevalence of the use of anti-personnel
weaponry has resulted in over 400,000 children being maimed by land mines.
A quarter of all
children in Afghanistan die before the age of five, which according to UNICEF
figures is the fourth highest level in the world. Of those who continue to
survive, one in ten is severely malnourished and more than half suffer from
stunted growth.
There is a similarly bleak
picture in other parts of the world. In the continent of Africa over 34 million
children, or nearly 12%, are orphans either as a result of war or epidemics
such as AIDS.
In recent years the
proportion of civilian casualties in armed conflicts has increased
dramatically. This is now estimated to be about 90%, half of whom are children.
In the last ten years alone some 2 million children have died as a direct
result of armed conflict. Many others have witnessed parents and relatives
being butchered in the most appalling circumstances.
Around 20 million
children have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict or human
rights violations and it is estimated that 300,000 boys and girls under the age
of 18 are involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide.
In Northern Uganda,
for instance, war has raged for 18 years and has left the population in abject
poverty. More than 1.6 million people have been forced to leave their homes and
farmers who were formerly self-sufficient are now forced to live in camps for
internally displaced persons. Schools, homes, villages and families have all
been destroyed and nobody knows how many have died.
The UK charity War
Child quotes one particular case of a Ugandan girl called Agnes. Now 18 she was
10 years old and working in her family's vegetable garden when rebels abducted
her. Her parents were killed and she was separated from the remaining members
of her family.
She was 11 when she
was forced to kill another child who had tried to escape from the rebels and at
the age of 12 she was raped when a rebel commander took her as one of his
wives.
When she was 13 she
finally managed to escape and miraculously a few weeks later she was reunited
with what remained of her family. In spite of all that she has suffered, she
could be regarded as one of the lucky ones. Although she is an orphan, at least
she has some family and the War Child charity is paying for her education so
she hopes to rebuild her life. Her goal is to become a nurse and she is now
looking towards the future with optimism.
This is not by any
means the usual pattern for orphans. All over the world orphans usually have a
very raw deal. Russia is just one example, but it is by no means exceptional.
It is estimated that there are 650,000 children in Russian orphanages. As is
the generally accepted pattern worldwide, the state looks after them until the
age of 16, but after that they are on their own. Their prospects are poor, with
40% usually ending up homeless, 20% turning to crime and 10% committing
suicide.
It should not be like
this. Take the case of Michaela DePrince.
Michaela was born in
Sierra Leone in 1995 and became an orphan after both her parents were killed in
the Civil War. While still a toddler she endured some horrendous experiences
and was sent to an orphanage. One day she found a magazine with a picture of a
ballerina and she immediately decided that this was what she wanted to be.
When she was four
years old she had the good fortune to be adopted. She was taken to America and
enrolled in the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia.In 2012 she
graduated from American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in
New York and joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem. On 19 July 2012 she made her
professional debut performance in the role of Gulnare in the South African
premiere of Le Corsaire.
Obviously Michaela was
incredibly lucky, but tragically there are many thousands of other children who
will remain in orphanages or continue to live as street children, with little
hope of ever achieving what they are capable of.
World Day for War
Orphans is a day to remember these children. Every one of them is precious and
they all deserve a future that will enable them to fulfill their dreams.
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