7 Countries with the Worst Orphanages in the World

Whatever you do, don’t read this list of 7 countries with the worst orphanages in the world if you haven’t got the stomach for it. These countries have such horrible orphanages that it’s difficult to read through without a continuous sense of disgust.

What is wrong with today’s world? One would think that old orphanage abuse stories are a matter of the past. Everyone still remembers one of the worst orphanages in America and its abuse stories. The Tekakwitha Orphanage was finally demolished in 2010. Or the horror of the Ungerini Home for the Incurable in Romania. The horror story went viral after an adopted orphan shared his life story with the world. Let ‘s just say it took 13 operations to offset the effect of the institution. Another candidate for one of the worst orphanages in Europe is the infamous Mazanovsky orphanage in Russia. The footage of a member of staff beating children went viral in 2013 and brought attention to the inhumane living conditions.

We have already discussed topics about the population of children without parents in 11 Countries with the Highest Rates of Orphans in the World. If you want to know which are the countries with the most orphans, read our article about countries with highest orphan population.

Sadly, the list of countries with the worst cases in orphanages is a long one. We read about the tortures in orphanages at Borgen Magazine, BBC, The Conversation, Women In and Beyond, Traveller, CNN, and Lumos. How were we to decide which orphanages are the worst? Should it be the children death rate, the number of abused cases, or the countries with the highest rate of children trafficking? Eventually, we opted for GDP per capita rate by the CIA. It may seem like a very ordinary criterion, but, as it is universally known, a country struggling financially will hardly make new investments. Therefore, the countries are listed from the “richest” to the poorest. The best orphanages in the world are probably located in the countries with the highest standard of living.

If you’re still up for it, here’s the harsh truth about 7 countries with the worst orphanages in the world. We have included some videos that you might find disturbing.

7. China

The most shocking story is one of the Nanning Orphanage in China’s Guangxi region. The South China Morning Post reported in 1993 that 90 percent of the girls admitted to the institution didn’t survive for long. The Human Rights Watch noted other orphanages also seemed to be involved in child elimination, rather than child protection. Do “China dying rooms” or “China death rooms” sound familiar? That would go hand in hand with the one-child policy, which consequently led to millions of baby girls being abandoned or sent to orphanages.

6. Ukraine

How many children are in orphanages in Ukraine is a mystery. The official data says there are 82,000 orphans who are institutionalized, but the activists claim the real figure is close to 200,000 (!). Reading about the abuse cases is sickening. The children are easy prey to pedophiles and sex trafficking. A girl who fled the institution claims every year a dozen of children were disappearing into the woods. Most probably they were bought and sold into modern slavery. A grandma was encouraged to sell her grandchild for organs. That should give you a clear picture of the situation in Ukraine.

5. Guatemala

Guatemala made the headlines last year on 8th March when 43 girls died in The Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asunción, one of the many overcrowded orphanages. The girls, aged from 12 to 17, were locked and they set fire to the beds as a protest for being continuously abused and raped. When they tried to escape, the exit was blocked, and they burned to death. The country has a long history of treating girls as disposable bodies.

4. Moldova

Moldova is the poorest country in Europe and the worst European country out of 7 countries with the worst orphanages in the world. A report says that only 2% of the children in orphanages are without parents. Lots of parents leave Moldova to work in other countries and leave their children behind. Even though institutions may appear normal and ordinary at first sight (using the “normal” here on purpose), a disabled child lying in vomit in the corner certainly makes an impression. The workers don’t even know whether the children are boys or girls.

3. Sudan

Perhaps one of the appalling information is that 10% of all the children in Sudan are orphans. Those that are put into institutions are often underfed. Babies born outside of marriage are looked down on, and it is thought they don’t deserve to be treated as “regular” children.

2. Cambodia

Cambodia ranks second on our list of countries with the worst orphanages in the world. The country has 600 orphanages and 10,000 children. As in many other countries, children are gladly sent to orphanages because they are the key to a very lucrative business. The more children there are, and the worse living conditions, the more money is to arrive from various charity organizations. The money never reaches the children, of course.

1. Haiti

Finishing the list of 7 countries with the worst orphanages in the world with a country that even J.K. Rowling warned us about. 30,000 children in orphanages in a country with 10 million inhabitants. Just like it is the case with Cambodia, children are used as money makers and forced to live in horrible condition, drinking dirty water and eating dirty food. We can only guess the death rates.