Happy Thanksgiving from Ohio University's UNICEF chapter to you! Enjoy your day and be thankful for the things that you have, while you take a minute to think about those who don't have as much to be thankful for!
Imagine a world where you and all your friends are growing up with one or neither of your parents due to a reason that could be avoided. According to UNICEF, an estimated 43 million girls and boys in South Asia are growing up without one or both of their parents due to the impact of poverty, disability, HIV/AIDS, armed conflict, natural disasters, and migration. Imagine having to live with extended family members or having none at all. Some children in South Asia don’t even have families left due to these effects that to them, are unavoidable.
Kids often times have to be separated from their families because they pose a serious danger to their development and protection. The state needs to take responsibility to help the kids with their living situations. Evidence shows us that this institutional care is not exactly the best option for a child’s development. Institutional care is the most common form of alternative living for children, but can have really bad effects on the child’s life and society as a whole. These protection systems leave girls vulnerable to sexual assault and unwanted pregnancy. Children can be enrolled as soldiers because of the availability of small inexpensive arms. Girls can be recruited for sexual purposes and forced marriage. It seems so unbelievable to think about growing up in these conditions where these issues are so common. I could not imagine myself, my friends, or any child in the United States living in an environment such as this. The causes of these issues are so uncommon in the U.S. that many people take their good health, and stable living conditions for granted. It is a devastating and heartbreaking reality for many children living in South Asia. |
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March 2015
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