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One of today’s great challenges for many countries resides in preventing the separation of the child from his/her parents and in the development of an individualized and permanent family plan for children placed in institutions or in a foster family. Besides maintaining the child in the family of origin and the prevention of his/her institutionalization, family reintegration constitutes the most desirable permanent solution.
As guiding principles in this regard, international law provides that family solutions must be envisaged as a priority and domestic measures must be given preference…
Millions of children throughout the world are currently in, or in need of, out-of-home care because their parents are unavailable or unable to care for them:
- In the USA there are 600,000 children in the foster-care system alone (CWLA);
- Some 1.5 million children are reported to be in out-of-home care in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS, including 900,000 in residential facilities (UNICEF);
- In Africa, Asia and Latin America, some 9.5 million children whose parents have both died from HIV/AIDS are looked after by relatives or others…
Children today are increasingly deliberate targets, as well as unintended victims, in armed conflicts around the world. Between 1985 and 1995:
- 2 million children were killed;
- 6 million were left seriously injured or permanently disabled;
- 12 million were left homeless;
- 1 million were orphaned or separated from their parents;
- 10 million suffered from serious psycho-logical trauma as a result of war; and
- 300,000 served as child soldiers.
Call for humanitarian response to uphold recommendations set forth in the Guidelines for Alternative Care in regards to care for children in emergencies, preventing family separation and promoting family based care in their community of origin where possible.