Harsh reality of Iraqi orphans

Baghdad, Dec 13, (VOI) - Unlike orphans in many countries in the world, most Iraqi orphans lost their parents around the same time and under horrible circumstances. In addition to their desire for compassion and care, those children need to overcome their sad memories and make a new beginning in life.

Recounting her traumatic memories, Halima, a nine-year-old girl who is living in a public orphanage, said that she lost her parents in a blast that ripped through a local market in a Baghdad neighborhood.

"We were shopping in a popular market in Baghdad al-Jadida neighborhood when a car bomb detonated. I still recall how bodies turned into charcoal," Halima told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"I was taken to the hospital for treatment and was told that my parents were killed. My younger brother survived and was adopted by a loving family. It was my relatives who brought me to this orphanage," the girl added.

"Our problem here is that we do not receive academic education. If only the government could build special schools for us to guarantee our future," she said.

Social conventions have prompted Iraqis to take care of orphans. Abu Ahmed, a resident of a Baghdad neighborhood, told VOI that he sponsors five of his brother’s children. His brother was kidnapped in 2004, and his whereabouts remain unknown. "I can never abandon them no matter what difficult circumstances I experience," Abu Ahmed said.

"I had no option but to bring them to live with my family and children and I am currently providing for two families. I could not stand the idea that they might be led astray," Abu Ahmed added. The constant violence in the country has urged many social scientists to consider long-term solutions for the problem. More