Problem of Unaccompanied Children in the Earthquake: Insufficient Enrollment

Abstract

Turkiye experienced 2 of the most catastrophic earthquakes of the last century on February 6, 2023. The first earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred at 4:17 am in Kahramanmaras City. Nine hours later, the second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 hit a region, which has 10 cities and over 16 million people. After the earthquakes, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Hans Kluge, announced that a level 3 emergency was declared. One of the problems that should be solved at the earliest period in earthquakes is the problem of orphans or unaccompanied children. These children, referred to as "earthquake orphans", can be potential victims of violence, organized crime, organ trafficking, drug addiction, sexual exploitation, or human trafficking. The already low socioeconomic level of the region, the magnitude of the earthquake, and the turmoil in the emergency rescue organization cause concern that the number of fragile children in this population will be higher than expected. The problem of orphaned children experienced in previous major destructive earthquakes provides important experiences for earthquake preparation.