Many children in orphanages throughout the developing world have at least one parent who is alive, a charity claims today.
According to research by Save the Children, 98% of children in residential care in central and eastern Europe, 94% of those in Indonesia and 90% of children in Ghana are not actually orphans but have at least one living parent. In Liberia and Sri Lanka, the figure is 88% and 80% respectively.
Poverty is the main reason children end up in institutions, rather than the death of a mother or father, the report concludes.
"It is a myth that children in orphanages have no parents. Most are there because their parents can’t afford to feed, clothe and educate them," says the report’s author, Corinna Csaky, a Save the Children’s child protection adviser. "Mothers and fathers are forced to make the agonising decision to put their child in an institution in the hope that they will have a better future."
According to UN figures, 8 million children live in orphanages and other institutions. The report says some governments and donors mistakenly regard orphanages and other forms of residential care as the most appropriate response for children affected by poverty, HIV and Aids.
While the report recognises that not all institutions are harmful to children, it says children who grow up in residential care homes are more likely to suffer from stunted growth and behavioural problems and have a lower IQ than those raised at home or in foster families. Children with disabilities are at an more risk of such abuse in institutions. "We have to dispel the misconceptions that have made orphanages the commonsense response for caring for vulnerable children. The reality is that the separation from parents together with the poor quality of care, violence, abuse and exploitation found in many care institutions is causing extreme and lasting harm to children and to society," Csaky said.
Paul O’Grady, a Save the Children ambassador, said: "Children around the world are languishing in orphanages because parents can’t afford to pay for their food, clothes and education. It’s outrageous that children are separated from their families when they have parents who, given a bit of help, could look after them.
"I believe that families around the world should be supported to stay together, and more needs to be done stop children being put into care unnecessarily."
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