Kids Portal For Parents India Kids Network
World Day of War Orphans: It is observed on 6 January to spread awareness about the plight of the war orphans and to address the traumatic conditions faced by them.
The purpose of the day is to spread awareness globally about the need to protect the human rights of children orphaned by wars and to generate efforts to secure a better tomorrow for them. The day has more relevance mainly at the time of pandemics as it has the most significant impact on orphan children. The day also reminds us that caring for children in the worst circumstances is a duty, mainly during the coronavirus pandemic.
World Day of War Orphans: Date
World Day of War Orphans is observed on 6 January to create awareness about the plight of war orphans and to address the traumatic conditions faced by them.
- 2025: 06 January, 2025 [Monday]
- 2026: 06 January, 2026 [Tuesday]
- 2027: 06 January, 2027 [Wednesday]
Who is considered an Orphan?
As per UNICEF, a child under 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death is considered an orphan. As per data by UNICEF, there were around 140 million orphans globally in 2015, including 61 million in Asia, 52 million in Africa, 10 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7.3 million in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
World Day of War Orphans: History
The French organization, SOS Enfants en Detresses, started World Day of War Orphans. The day highlights the lives of the children who were affected by the outcomes of the war and aims for the betterment of their future.
Theme:
- 2024: Orphan Lives Matter
- 2023: Children are the biggest war victims
- 2022: Care for children in a horrible situation is an obligation, especially in the face of a pandemic
- 2021:
World Day of War Orphans: Significance
As per data by UNICEF, in the wars of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, around half of the victims were civilians and this number increased gradually till 2001. Since the said year, the number has declined at a rate of 0.7% per year.
In World War II, around two-thirds of the victims were civilians and by the end of the 1980s, the number rose to 90%.
| Year | Victims (in millions) |
| 1990 | 146 |
|
1995
|
151
|
|
2000
|
155
|
|
2005
|
153
|
|
2010
|
146 |
| 2015 | 140 |
From the above-mentioned data, it is clear that civilians in several nations around the globe have become victims of the war. Amongst them, the children are the silent victims. Millions of children have grown up in war zones, and ethnic strife with no families. The orphans are forced to after not only look after themselves but their younger siblings too (if any).
Thus, the day highlights the plight of orphans and reminds us that every child must be cared for.
