Orphans-definition, types, reasons! Know about the group of orphans with a family and parents!

 Orphan is a term that brings about a feeling of pity and sympathy. An orphan is one who is without parents. Both of his or her parents have either died or are unknown or have abandoned the child. There is no parent to take care of the orphaned child. Orphans are emotionally insecure and feel deserted and cheated in life. In developing countries, their plight is worse than that in the developed world. But I do know that there are many children who despite having parents and a family feel orphaned and deserted. Because though the parents provide them with shelter, food, clothing, and maybe education as well but they are unable to give them love.

Orphan and its definition

By definition, an orphan is a child who has lost both his parents to death or both the parents have deserted the child. The child is at the mercy of some relative or grandparent or a foster parent or orphanage people and society. When we talk about an orphaned animal, we say so when its mother has died or abandoned the baby animal. This is regardless of the father’s presence or not. In the United States of America, an orphan is said to be a minor who has none of the parents. Both are dead, lost, separated or have deserted or abandoned the child.

But the UNICEF, UNAIDS, and such groups label a child who has lost one of the parents with another one alive also as an orphan. Hence, there can be a maternal orphan with no mother or a paternal orphan with no father. The child is said to be a double orphan when both the parents are lost. In the olden days, the term half-orphan was used to describe a child with one lost parent and one parent who is present with the child.

Magnitude and reasons for orphans

The percentage of orphans varies in the world in different countries. While it is rare in the developed world due to healthy parents and proper regulations in place, it is common in troubled areas of the world. Malawi has 17.5% of the children as orphans. In a country also, orphans are seen more in the poorer less-developed sections of society and in certain races such as the colored race.

Orphans with or without parents [Source: Medium]

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The reasons could be the death of a parent due to accident, illness, AIDS, murder, and such other unforeseen disasters. It could also be due to the birth of the child out of wedlock, born to rape victims, born to teen mothers, or due to bias for a male child such as in India. Here, females are killed in the womb (feticide), during infancy (infanticide) or just left in garbage bins or rubbish cans to die. This continues despite the fact that more and more male children are turning out to be bad and the black sheep of the family.

Orphans with living parents

Often, a child is born following the urge for sex. Reproduction is unplanned and the couples who reproduce are ignorant of the parenting skills. Many couples bear children so that they can have someone to look after them in their old age!!! Whatever the reason, it is known that when children are born to parents with poor parenting skills, they become orphans despite having a family. Though the parents take care of the basic needs of the child, these children are unable to get the due love. The child is ignored and his emotional needs are unmet. Some parents are controlling and pressurize the child to follow norms and excel in studies so that they get the status from the society. Such kids grow up to have mental issues such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, inferiority complex, jealousy and also anti-social behaviors.

Orphans in an orphanage [Source: Pinterest]

Though they do not fall in the definition of orphans per se, they are also orphans since their parents are unable to meet their emotional needs and provide love and proper care to them. Nourishment is there but nurturing is absent. This is not an uncommon thing though people do not talk about it. In India, it is often seen in the case of a female child who is not only offered lesser food, nutrition, clothing, shelter, and education, but lesser amount of love is given to her right from the start of her life. She is considered a 'paraya dhan' (someone’s wealth). Thus such female children are also orphans despite having parents and a family.

Advice to the true orphans

The true orphans feel sad and depressed about the fact that they are born orphans. They feel that they do not know their identity. But I would like to tell these little kids that do not despair. At least you are aware that you have no one but society to look after you. And if the society and orphanage are good, they can stand up on their feet on their own and learn the skills that they want themselves rather than depending or parents who may actually be harboring an ulterior motive in order to bring you up.

In the pilot survey that I did, I found that in India around 50% of people felt that they were not loved in their childhood. Though they had parents who satisfied the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing something in life was missing due to lack of love. It is worse if one assumes that they have a family but it is a namesake family with no TLC. So whatever the condition you are born in and with, remain happy! Take it as a gift of the Almighty and continue to live your life from there. Do not compare yourself with others. Keep your own standards and live up to it. Make your and others life happy!

 Even great leaders such as Nelson Mandela was born an orphan, but he survived and became a source of inspiration for the masses! If he can, why can't you?