Orphan Paternity

Most orphans who have lost their families and are left unprotected are found in Islamic regions. Human trafficking, organ mafias, criminal organizations, and begging networks are some of the threats these vulnerable children may face. Missionary organizations also reach out to these orphaned children, trying to use them for their own interests.

According to UNICEF data, children make up 2.2 billion of the estimated 7.7 billion global population and remain vulnerable for various reasons. Every day, 10,000 children die due to causes like poverty and hunger, with a significant portion of these deaths being orphans and unaccompanied children. Additionally, nearly 10,000 children worldwide become orphans or lose one parent each day, with the total number of orphaned children reaching about 140 million. However, it is estimated that the actual number of unrecorded children is much higher. In many regions around the world, many orphans are not recorded as such because no birth records were ever kept, or a relative took them in when their parents died. When these "invisible children" are included, the real number of orphans worldwide is estimated to reach 400 million.

The primary causes of the increasing number of orphans are wars and internal conflicts. Over the last decade, more than 2 million children have died in conflicts, more than 1 million have been orphaned, and over 6 million children have been severely injured and must continue the rest of their lives with disabilities. In 2018, nearly 100,000 people lost their lives in wars and conflicts, tens of thousands of children were left unaccompanied, and 80% of these losses occurred in Muslim countries. Due to the civil war in Syria, 9.2 million children under the age of 18 have become in need of assistance, and nearly 1 million children have been orphaned.

Among the dangers facing children are heavy labor, child soldiers, organ trafficking, and prostitution mafias. According to UNICEF, about 300,000 child soldiers are fighting in more than 30 countries today. The International Labour Organization's (ILO) "Child Labour" report also states that globally, at least 218 million children aged 5-17 are working, with at least 73 million of them engaged in hazardous jobs.

Children who were referred to as "war orphans" during the two world wars of the 20th century are still fleeing countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Africa, and the Middle East and moving to other countries unaccompanied. Refugee or orphaned children face threats such as all kinds of abuse, humiliation, and cultural discrimination. Assimilation policies they encounter in the countries they seek refuge in also pose a separate risk. Migrant children are used for illegal purposes by various groups. Children displaced unaccompanied due to mass migration caused by war and internal conflict fall into the traps of various criminal organizations.

In 2016, the European Union Law Enforcement Agency (EUROPOL) announced that 63,000 refugee children, most of them from Syria and Afghanistan, had arrived in Europe, and about 10,000 of them had gone missing. According to data from the Belgium-based civil society organization Missing Children in Europe, which operates in 26 countries on the issue of missing children, the number of missing refugee children in the continent reached 30,000 between 2014 and 2017. As of September 2, 2020, 200,000 unaccompanied children, especially from Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea, have arrived in Europe in the last five years. Of these children, 700 died on the way to Europe. Between 2019 and 2021, 18,291 children went missing. Given that these numbers are based on records kept after reports were made, it is believed that there are many refugee children who have not been reported or recorded. Numerous cases have been recorded indicating that unaccompanied refugee children who have been reported missing are being used by illegal organizations or individuals in their activities. It has been reported that some of the missing children have fallen into the hands of organ traffickers, while others have been forced to work in the sex industry.

One of the most common causes of orphanhood is natural disasters; in the last 20 years, 750,000 people have lost their lives due to natural disasters, and hundreds of thousands of children have been orphaned or left unprotected.

According to the research by the Management Sciences for Health (MSH), Nigeria in Africa stands out with 17.5 million orphans in need of help. In the country, 2.5 million children have been orphaned due to HIV. In Ethiopia, where 6 million orphans are trying to survive, 44% of children under the age of 14 are reported to have been orphaned due to the HIV epidemic. In Uganda, 2.9 million children have lost their parents due to this disease, 310,000 in Sierra Leone, and 1 million in Kenya. The number of children orphaned worldwide due to the HIV virus exceeds 13 million.

As the Valide Humanitarian Aid Association, we work to ensure that orphans receive education to become qualified individuals and learn Islam in the best way possible. With your support, we meet the food, clothing, education, health, and other needs of our orphan brothers and sisters. Together with your donations, we also deliver compassion and love to orphans, bringing smiles to their faces.

You, too, can support an orphan and make them feel that they are not alone. You can join our Orphan Sponsorship System by clicking on the "Donate" button below, transferring via EFT/Transfer to our account numbers, visiting our center, or by getting detailed information by calling 0212 569 3333.