Tanner Dorrance

English 2010
10/6/14
Jim Beatty
Adoption
Every day 5,760 children are thrown into orphanages around the world. This has several
different reasons including parents going to prison, not providing a home, being abusive, and
many other things. Foster homes are supposed to provide a way for kids to get out of bad
situations and have a fair shot at succeeding in todays world. However thats not the case. Foster
homes need to be improved because they are not helping the kids the way they should be.
Kids that are put into group care instead of children in family based care are just about
four times more likely to encounter sexual abuse.(Orphan Hope) This means they are forced or
talked into sex or sexual activities by another person, usually being an adult. There are many
symptoms of this tragedy to a child that are similar to the same symptoms of depression. They
include bowel disorders, eating disorders, genital pain, repeated headaches, sleeping problems,
and frequent stomach aches. This is a big factor in turning kids towards participating in high risk
sexual behaviors, becoming sexual offenders themselves, using alcohol and drugs, and having
excessive fears because they are already at an all-time low and dont know how to cope with
things in a positive way.(Orphan Hope) This is a lifelong effect on children and makes it so
many of the victims have a hard time with intimate relationships as an adult. With these rates
being so high and the huge negative effect it has on kids, more background checks should be
made when hiring foster home employees and an adult and kid should never be in a one on one
setting. This is not the only problem we are facing.

Suicide rates for these foster children are depressing. 10-15% of orphans commit suicide
before they turn the legal age to live on their own, eighteen.(Orphan Hope) This is amount is
outrageous and kids should not feel that this is their only option. Only 1.8% of the deaths in the
world are due to suicide, which is still way too high, 10%-15% makes that look tiny. That is not
the only suicide going on with kids that grow up in foster homes, within three years of becoming
an adult and being removed from the home; another 10% sees suicide as the only way
out.(Orphan Hope) Many of these kids feel unloved and unwanted, so they feel like they have
nothing to live for. They dont realize that they too can make an impact in this world and there is
always someone who cares about you. Putting these kids into loving homes is essential and
makes them feel wanted. Not getting help in school or not getting the regular kid life such as
playing organized sports, having your own room to get sent to when you get in trouble, having
your own bathroom and other things influences in the wrong decision that they think their life
cant get any worse and they would be doing the world a favor. Everyone here has a purpose.
Their peers or other orphans need to step up in showing that someone cares for them and they do
have someone to go to. Getting them involved will give them something to look forward to, and
can aid in keeping them happy. This will also help them build relationships for the future by
interacting with others with common interests.
Building relationships can be an essential part to someones future. It creates networking
for future jobs and opens doors. Many people hire their family or friends of their family. I know
this from personal experience because all four of my jobs have been through people I have made
relationships with. This matters because within three years of becoming an adult and moving out
of foster care, 5,000 of the 15,000 that age out every year are unemployed.(Orphan Hope) On top
of that another 3,000 are in prison.(Orphan Hope) 6,000 of these boys and girls are counted as

homeless and dont have a place to go. If they could get more help during lower level education,
orphans could attain better grades and possibly attend college, significantly brightening their
future. People with a four year college degree made 98% more of incomes last year compared to
people that dont have a Bachelors Degree.(Freitus) In 2003, the percentage of people that had
not graduated high school and went to prison was just over 41%.(Freitus) For people that attend
postsecondary school only under 13% were incarcerated. College isnt for everybody, but giving
orphans a better chance tp stay off the streets and have a place to live can be done through it. It
will also help them support themselves and make them a contributing member of society. Some
of the kids wouldnt even need a grant because there are many scholarship programs offered to
orphans including the Casey Family Scholar Program which has given over 13 million dollars to
former foster youth since 2000.
Foster homes obviously have many flaws. We need to exploit these and find solutions to
better the lives of these 153 million estimated orphans. Everyone deserves a fair chance, and
with the foster systems in place now that is not happening. As older peers we can tutor them, and
give them someone to talk to. Children are the future, they will eventually impact your life if
they dont already.

Works Cited
Fenton-Gtynn, Claire. The Childs Voice in Adoption Proceedings. International
Journal of Childrens Rights 2014: p135-163. Web
Freitus, Debbie. Cristina, Freitus. Marcia, Boumil. From Foster Drift to Legal Orphans:
The Need for Statutes That Reinstate Terminated Parental Rights. American Journal of Family
Law Summer 2014: p87-102. Web
Orphan Hope International. Facts & Statistics. www.orphanhopeintl.org. Orphan Hope
International. Accessed on October 1, 2014.