Children belong in safe and loving families. We substantiate our argument by using the four cornerstones/pillars of a house as a metaphor:
- Culture
- Research
- Law (& Guidelines)
- Theology
On this page we describe pillar number 2, Research, more in depth.
80% HAve A LIVING PARENT
It is a myth that children living in "orphanages" have no parents. In fact, over 80% of these children have at least one living parent or other family members who could care for them with the right support.
The image below is from the factsheet Children in Institutions: The Global Picture by LUMOS. It presents statistics on children in institutions worldwide, addressing the "orphan myth." Click here to download the document.
Additionally, more than 80 years of scientific research highlights the negative effects of growing up in an institution on a child's cognitive, emotional, and social development. This was acknowledged on December 18, 2019, when all UN member states adopted the 2019 UN Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children. In Article 26, they express deep concern about the potential harm institutional care can cause to a child's growth and development.
This is what institutional care lookes like
Impact of Institutionalisation
Many people are unaware of the significant impact institutionalization has on children. However, over 80 years of research has shown that children in institutions often experience:
- Speech delays
- Growth delays
- Attachment disorders
- Stigmatization
- Struggles with reintegration into society
- Difficulty forming healthy relationships as adults
- Growing up without any model of family or understanding of good parenting
- Challenges in parenting their own children
- A 10x higher likelihood of falling into sex work compared to their peers
- A 40x higher likelihood of having a criminal record
- A 500x higher likelihood of taking their own lives
- A higher risk of developing mental illnesses.
Attachment Problems
One of the most significant impacts of institutionalization is attachment problems. These often arise from the inability to form secure emotional bonds with a consistent caregiver. This issue is particularly prevalent in environments like orphanages, where there is a constant rotation of caregivers. The lack of stable, consistent caregivers prevents children from developing the trust and security necessary for healthy emotional growth.
The frequent rotation of volunteers and carers throughout these children's lives further complicates their ability to recognize and form healthy relationships in the future. It normalizes interactions with strangers, who may not always have the child's best interests in mind.
As a result, these children may struggle with trusting others, resist comfort, or exhibit extreme behaviors such as withdrawal or aggression. The absence of a consistent caregiver disrupts the formation of secure attachments, leading to challenges in emotional regulation, social relationships, and overall mental health. If not addressed in a stable, nurturing environment, these issues can result in long-term psychological difficulties..
Understanding the Trauma of Institutions
This book by Florence Koenderink is a must-read for anyone involved with children living in institutions. Even if you're not directly involved, but still want to understand the trauma faced by these children, this book is for you.
Institutionalization affects a child's brain development, physical growth, cognitive skills, emotional well-being, and stress response. The book offers a comprehensive understanding of how care in an institution differs from care within a family, and the profound effects this has on a child.
Key areas covered include an overview of brain development and the stress response system in children, as well as the critical roles of attachment, physical contact, stimulation, attention, and community living in child development. The book also explores the effects of institutionalization, such as attachment disorders, challenging behaviors, self-harm, and health issues. It provides practical strategies for helping children build trust, reduce stress, establish a sense of safety, and manage challenging behaviors through positive discipline that avoids further harm.
This training manual for caseworkers is a companion to the book Understanding the Trauma of Institutionalized Children: To Support the Child You Adopt. It offers the same essential information, but is structured as a training guide for those working to transition children from institutions to families—whether it’s their birth family, extended family, a foster family, adoptive family, guardian, or kafeel.
Research 1944
This study, conducted by Anna Freud and Dorothy T. Burlingham, examined children at the Hampstead Nursery, a residential nursery for young children who had lost their homes and, in many cases, their parents due to war. Even then, they identified the negative effects of institutional care on children's development.
The study compared the development of these children with those raised in a typical family setting. While infants in the residential nursery may develop relatively well up to five months old due to their physical needs being met better than in ordinary working-class homes, challenges typically arise after that age. The lack of close, continuous emotional relationships with a mother figure and the absence of normal family interactions impede their emotional, intellectual, speech, and habit development.
These children often exhibit insecurity, increased dependence on adults, heightened aggression toward one another, and a greater tendency to engage in fantasy and self-comforting behaviors. Their character development and sense of right and wrong are also affected by the lack of normal family figures who offer love and embody society’s rules and expectations.
The researchers observed that:
“Superficial observation of children of this kind leaves a conflicting picture. They resemble, in outward appearances, children of middle-class families: they are well developed physically, properly nourished, decently dressed, have acquired clean habits and decent table manners, and can adapt themselves to rules and regulations. However, in terms of character development, they often prove—despite many efforts—to be not far above the standard of destitute or neglected children. This especially becomes evident after they have left the institutions."
The study also noted that:
“It is because of these developmental failures that thoughtful educators have increasingly turned against the concept of residential nurseries. Instead, they have devised methods for placing orphaned or destitute children with foster families. However, given the likelihood that residential homes for infants will continue to exist, the question remains: how much of these developmental failures are inherent to institutions compared to family life, and how much could be mitigated if institutions were to change their methods?"
Orphanage Industrial Complex
Residential care facilities for children are sometimes viewed as a business model, generating revenue from tourism and international adoption. These facilities often receive substantial financial support, primarily from Western countries. While some of this income is obtained legally, illegal activities also occur, such as the sale or recruitment of children for placement in these institutions.
Volunteer travel to these facilities contributes to a broader system that sustains orphanages unnecessarily. This system is sometimes referred to in the literature as the "orphanage industrial complex." While volunteer labor and donations play a role, the real driving force behind the perpetuation of these institutions is structural financial support from the West, including equity funds, private donations, and sponsorship programs.
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