Children without parents are not only among the most vulnerable members of society--their care and protection also present a major child-care policy challenge. In spite of this, they are all but doomed to have their s...Children without parents are not only among the most vulnerable members of society--their care and protection also present a major child-care policy challenge. In spite of this, they are all but doomed to have their special needs ignored and their rights abused in many cases. Children without a biological family, who are cared for in some forms, also run the risk of a life which holds fewer possibilities for healthy development and a supportive environment than that of their peers with families. The range of threats is wide, from extreme neglect （lack of access to education, medical care, a balanced diet, etc.） to social stigmatization and marginalization and the fact that the loss of a family represents a serious trauma that stays with a person throughout his/her life and can potentially be seriously damaging if the person has not had any support in coping with it in childhood. The present study is conducted among the inmates （children） admitted in the ashrams （orphanages） who come from underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds. Information was collected from two orphanages of Sambalpur district situated in the western part of Odisha. These are Dhankauda Kanyaashram （for girls） and Dhankauda Balashram （for boys）. The paper examines a wide range of care interventions for orphans, including family care, institutional care, community-based care, and rights-based care. A lack of direction, inadequate care, ignorance, and discrimination can make the trauma experienced by orphans more intense and ultimately ensure that they really do not succeed.展开更多
文摘Children without parents are not only among the most vulnerable members of society--their care and protection also present a major child-care policy challenge. In spite of this, they are all but doomed to have their special needs ignored and their rights abused in many cases. Children without a biological family, who are cared for in some forms, also run the risk of a life which holds fewer possibilities for healthy development and a supportive environment than that of their peers with families. The range of threats is wide, from extreme neglect （lack of access to education, medical care, a balanced diet, etc.） to social stigmatization and marginalization and the fact that the loss of a family represents a serious trauma that stays with a person throughout his/her life and can potentially be seriously damaging if the person has not had any support in coping with it in childhood. The present study is conducted among the inmates （children） admitted in the ashrams （orphanages） who come from underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds. Information was collected from two orphanages of Sambalpur district situated in the western part of Odisha. These are Dhankauda Kanyaashram （for girls） and Dhankauda Balashram （for boys）. The paper examines a wide range of care interventions for orphans, including family care, institutional care, community-based care, and rights-based care. A lack of direction, inadequate care, ignorance, and discrimination can make the trauma experienced by orphans more intense and ultimately ensure that they really do not succeed.
