World Day of War Orphans: Date, Significance and all you need to know

On 6 January every year, World Day of War Orphans is observed with the purpose of creating awareness about the plight of the war orphans and to the address the traumatic conditions faced by them.

The World Day of War Orphans was initiated by the French organization, SOS Enfants en Detresses. UNICEF estimated that there are nearly 9,00,000 children in the Northeast, all of whom have been seriously affected by the war, either through a lack of education, food, shelter or a direct injury.

Key points and figures to note:

• According to the UNICEF, an orphan is a child under 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death

• There were nearly 140 million orphans globally in 2015

• In the wars of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, about half the victims were civilians. In the World War II, it was two thirds, and by the end of the 1980s it was almost 90 per cent.

The estimated total number of orphans increased from 1990-2001 but since 2001, the number has declined slowly - at a rate of only 0.7% per year, says the UNICEF.

According to reports, children are the silent sufferers of violence and mental health concerns. Millions of children have grown up amid conflict fueled by war, ethnic strife and the fight over resources. A number of children face sexual exploitation in a conflict situation. On World Day of War Orphans, it's high time we remind ourselves that every child must be cared for.