Syria's Stolen Children

Lighthouse Reports

A new investigation by Lighthouse Reports, with a coalition of six Syrian and international media, reveals how a major EU and UK-funded childcare charity, SOS Children’s Villages, held children in orphanages to extort their parents. 

Children and Youth Services Review Special Issue: The governance of national care systems for orphans and vulnerable children in low-income countries.

Children and Youth Services Review

This special issue of the Children and Youth Services Review concerns the governance of children's care systems in low and middle-income countries, with a focus on Cambodia, Uganda and Zambia. The special issue focuses on the political and bureaucratic factors that shape priority for and the effectiveness of national children's care systems in low and middle-income countries.

Compassion for the caregivers: an Indian perspective on the burnout of caregivers in child care institutions

Arora Akansha , Kalra Gurneet, Modi Kiran

India’s 23.6 million orphaned and abandoned children often rely on overburdened caregivers in child care institutions, where staff shortages and high demand affect quality of care. This study evaluates a capability-building program by Udayan Care and Duke University, showing how strengthening caregivers’ skills, knowledge, and wellbeing can improve outcomes for vulnerable children.

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The evolution of priority for the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia

Yusra Ribhi Shawar, Joseph Mumba Zulu

Given the severe impacts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and chronic poverty, the care of orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) is a significant national issue in Zambia. This article examines the evolution of governance and policy for the care of OVC and identifies the factors that have shaped Zambia’s priority for and capacity to address this issue.

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Political factors shaping national systems of care for orphans and vulnerable children in low-income countries: Scoping review and framework

Yusra Ribhi Shawar, Shafkat Meraj, Adam D. Koon, and Jeremy Shiffman

This article reviews the political factors shaping orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) care systems in low-income countries, highlighting weak governance, limited political commitment, and heavy dependence on external actors. It introduces a social science–based framework of eight key factors—spanning policymaking, governance, and context—to guide research and strengthen OVC care systems.

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Uganda’s system to care for orphans and vulnerable children: a sociopolitical analysis of its evolution

Eddy J. Walakira, Adam D. Koon, Rita Nakanjako, Innocent Kamya, Jeremy Shiffman

Alarmingly high numbers of Ugandan children experience or are at risk of experiencing abuse and neglect. This article analyzes the state of priority for and quality of governance of Uganda’s formal system for the care of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).

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Family first, institution last, what in between? A study of institutional stakeholder attitudes toward alternative care of children in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Ministry of Social Welfare and the Department of Social Services and UNICEF

This study is complementary to the alternative care assessment and explores the perceptions and attitudes of policymakers, judges, and frontline child protection practitioners toward alternative care in Bangladesh. It finds broad consensus that children thrive best in families, yet institutional care remains the default due to the lack of structured alternatives.

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Study on Alternative Care for Children in Bangladesh: A National Assessment of the Residential Care System

Bangladesh Ministry of Social Welfare and the Department of Social Services and UNICEF

This landmark national assessment, led by the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Department of Social Services with UNICEF support, provides the first comprehensive mapping of residential childcare institutions across Bangladesh.

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Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud

Lorena Contreras-Taibo, Camila Peralta-García, Constanza Albarrán-Ávalos, and Antonella Bossano-Colombo,

El abuso sexual infantil constituye un grave problema mundial que resulta muy difícil develar, particularmente en contextos institucionales y sin soporte familiar. Desde allí, se busca comprender, desde la perspectiva de personas adultas sobrevivientes y psicólogas tratantes, las experiencias de develación del abuso en entornos residenciales en Chile y las respuestas institucionales tras su develación.

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