Problems of Conflict Victimized Orphans and Community Concerns in Kashmir

Abstract

Orphaned children are one of the most disadvantaged groups living in the community with an assortment of problems. The problems of orphans are universal in nature and the magnitude of problem varies from one geographical location to another. The common problems faced by orphans worldwide are at higher risk of harsh malnutrition, high mortality rates, subordinate levels of school attendance, and increased likelihood of child labour. These children are also more likely to be subjected to abuse, neglect, exploitation and are not mentioned the grief of losing their parents. There are lakhs of children living as orphans due to conflict, poverty, war and other causes. The orphans in Kashmir have developed a great challenge in Kashmir and there were a little number of orphans prior two decades. The two decade long conflict has made a paradigm shift in relation to care, protection and rehabilitation of such orphans. The number of orphans increased at an alarming rate as a result of loss of life due to armed conflict in Kashmir. There are different Non Governmental Organizations working for orphans in local, national and international level. While taking care of these orphan children, they face various challenges and difficulties due to increased poverty and increased number of orphans. The concept of helping out the orphaned children is gradually changing from agencies or Non Governmental Organizations to different communities due to extensive community awareness. Nowadays the role of community in alleviation of orphan problem is significantly observed in different communities.