World Day of War Orphans

Caring for children in traumatic circumstances is a priority. **“World Day of War Orphans”** reminds the world of the responsibility of finding solutions to the problem resultant of the conflicts and wars. Efforts of SOS Enfants en Detresse (SOSEED), a French organisation, has led to the world observing the day to remind the world of the impact of the wars on the orphans. In many war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, and other African countries, the number of orphaned children is alarming. UNICEF indicates that children from poor countries face the brunt due to war and conflicts. Every person has a right to access the quality of life, more so a child. Ensuring their health and wellbeing should be a priority. Child victims are a high proportion of civilian deaths in recent conflicts. Those orphaned due to war have an additional problem of living in fear. Ensuring a secure and safe environment for them is the responsibility of all human beings. Let us not forget children are in the world because elders decided to bring them.

There are many in the world dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.

Mother Teresa

World Day of War Orphans is observed on January 6^th every year. It aims at spreading awareness aiding in addressing the problems faced by orphans resulting from wars and conflicts. World Day of War Orphans reminds the world that caring for children in traumatic circumstances is a priority. To hear them out and help them overcome the trauma is the responsibility. When children are forced to grow in orphanages, they often face emotional and social discrimination. Children caught in the crossfire or estranged from parents need utmost care to heal the mental wounds of war, restart schools and everyday life. Being an orphan and growing in orphanages is a challenge children need to cope with. Wars are unwanted and have several consequences: loss of life, damage to the environment, and depleting resources. The loss of life of humans fighting impacts children who struggle for survival and live with emotional scars.

The World Day of War Orphans was started by the French body, SOS Enfants en Detresse (SOSEED). SOS – Enfants en Detresse (SOSEED) is a non-governmental, humanitarian, and social action organisation. Its primary concern is children’s status, especially those in need of protection against all forms of abuse and mistreatment. Displaced children are a big part of International Displaced Persons, who are forced to leave everything – including their homes, workplaces, and possessions. They must not suffer and die of hunger and disease.

An estimate puts that World War II created millions of orphans in Europe, with 200,000 in Yugoslavia and 300,000 orphans in Poland alone. Today, the numbers are alarming in many war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, and other African countries. In Afghanistan, after 30 years of fighting, the number of orphaned children is now over two million, with over 500,000 sleeping on the streets

Child victims are a high proportion of civilian deaths in recent conflicts. UNICEF statistics indicate that the number of civilian victims has been rising steadily. It is almost 90% by the end of the 1980s. A glimmer of hope is that since 2001, the number has declined slowly – at a rate of ~ 0.7% per year. There were nearly 140 million orphans globally, ~ 43.5% in Asia, 37.1% in Africa, 7.1% in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 5.2% in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The distribution reflects children from poor countries facing brunt.

Every person has a right to access the quality of life, more so a child. Ensuring their health and wellbeing should be a priority. Those orphaned due to war have an additional problem of living in fear. Providing a secure and safe environment for them is the responsibility of all human beings. Let us not forget children are in the world because elders decided to bring them.