Deinstitutionalisation of children in care with special focus on institutional care in South Asia

This article proposes to deal with probabilities and possibilities of deinstitutionalisation in South Asia and also explains the present situation of children outside parental care in South Asia region. Attention has rightly been drawn to the South Asia region due to large increases in the number of children outside parental care. These children often find themselves at a high risk of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect and their well-being are often insufficiently monitored. The major causes of institutionalisation (poverty, education, migration, runaways, abuse and disownment) and effects of institutional care are briefly discussed in this article. This article explores the deinstitutionalisation of children in care. Numerous studies have been conducted on impact of deinstitutionalisation on children. The focuses of these studies were largely on deinstitutionalisation process. This article extends its analysis on institutionalisation to deinstitutionalisation possibilities and availabilities explaining with special reference to SOS village. Establishment of care standards, policies and laws plays an important role in institutionalisation.