India has the second largest population in the world, with 1.35 billion people. About 158.8 million of the population are children below the age of 6. Of these children, 30 million are orphans which makes up a significant portion of the youth population. Among the 30 million children, only 370,000 of them are in childcare institutions. The high number of orphans in India is due to multiple issues prevalent in the country. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) conducted one study in 2016-17 and found that there are 9,589 orphanages (CCI). Of these, 91% are non-governmental which means that only 9% of them receive support from it.

Causes of the High Number of Orphans

With 30 million orphans, there are numerous reasons that there is such a large number of orphans in India. One reason is the grueling process of adoption in India. First of all, many children in India are orphans as a result of parents not being able to pay for them, or the child escaping a dangerous situation. With more than half of the country living in poverty, many parents abandon their children instead of attempting to care for them, according to the International Learning Movement (ILM).

In order for a child to be eligible for adoption in India, the child needs to be in an adoptive home or orphanage. This puts the status of the child as “legally free for adoption.” This system is extremely problematic, however, with only 370,000 of the orphans living in orphanages or adoption centers, more than 29 million orphans are unavailable for adoption.

To make matters worse, those previously mentioned 91% of orphanages that the government does not directly run are not linked to adoption agencies, making them virtually invisible to the greater public, according to DW.

Adoption is a difficult and discouraging process for prospective parents as well. Prospective parents complain about, “a lack of support from services while applying for adoption,” DW stated in an article. Prospective parents experience frequent “delays and uncertainty of referrals” and they have to deal with a “lack of information and transparency from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).”

On top of the horrible support the government provides while in the adoption process, parents can expect the process to take up to three years. All of these factors combine to play a large role in prospective parents as they are constantly jumping through hoops in order to successfully adopt.

The Danger of Being an Orphan in India

With millions of orphans in India, scavenging on the street, there are countless dangers that can affect them. Trafficking is the most dangerous one as unprotected children are big targets for exploitation. While the orphans who roam the street have protection from the law, there is no physical force protecting them from danger, leaving them helpless, according to DW.

According to the 2022 U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons report, 47% of the trafficked individuals the DoS identified in India were children, and 59% of those children were female. The girls are usually sold as child brides, with 27% of them married before their 18th birthday. As for the boys, they are often forced to fight for extremist groups, according to ILM.

Solutions

With the brutal situation of orphans in India, many charities are working to make the situation better. Homes of Hope is one charity that has been doing extraordinary work in India and its help has positively impacted the country. Homes of Hope is responsible for building seven orphanages with five more on the way in India. It has lifted 3,000 girls from, sex trafficking, the streets, abusive homes and refugee camps. Homes of Hope has been a bright light leading the way through the dark situation of orphans in India.

Another great charity is India Hope. Like Homes of Hope, India Hope also focuses on improving the lives of orphans in India. India Hope currently houses 6,500 orphans in India with the goal of getting that number up to 8,000.

With millions of orphans in India, the situation is unfortunate and heartbreaking. However, with the continued work of good-hearted charities like Homes of Hope and India Hope, the situation could get better over time and hopefully, allow a good life for more and more orphans in India.

– David Keenan
Photo: Flickr