Problems of Orphan Children in State-Sponsored Orphanages of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study is conducted in two sweet homes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan i.e. Sweet Home of Peshawar and Sweet Home of Abbottabad. The nature of the study was quantitative and a close-ended questionnaire was used as a tool of data collection for collecting information from the sample size of 134 respondents selected through the proportional allocation method. The association was tabulated through the application of Chi-Square test statistics to ascertain the association between the dependent and independent variables. Study findings revealed a significant association (P≤0.05) of an index of various socio-economic problems of orphans with the statements such as children at sweet home is routinely harassed; adult children physically abuse younger children in the sweet home, etc. with the dependent variable i.e. protection aspects of orphanages. The government and staff should provide an environment free of harassment, abuse, stress, and anxiety, foster mother at sweet home should be advised to treat children like her biological one, the staff should understand children’s method of learning, organize exercises were some of the recommendations forwarded in the light of study findings.