Over 325,000 apply to become foster family

ANKARA

More than 325,000 people have applied to become foster families for children affected by the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes, while the number of people making an official request for adoption exceeds 67,000, stated a senior official from the Family and Social Services Ministry.

There has been a considerable increase in the demand for adoption and becoming a foster family from citizens since the Feb. 6 earthquake that left thousands of children unaccompanied, Musa Şahin, the director-general of the ministry’s Child Services Department, stated during a presentation at the parliament’s Earthquake Research Commission.

Accordingly, the number of foster family applications issued since the quakes exceeded 325,000, as more than 67,000 citizens also officially declared their intentions for adoption, Şahin stated.

Specialized professionals evaluate applicants’ suitability for foster care by investigating issues such as the personality traits of the applicants, their ability to provide care for a child, family relations, physical conditions of the house, and environmental conditions.

Reminding that more than 13 million people were affected by the quake disaster, Şahin pointed out that children are the group that experienced the aftermaths of the disaster in the most severe way.

A total of 463 of the 1,118 children reported missing after the deadly Feb. 6 quakes were officially declared dead, while 200 others were determined to have lost their limbs in the disaster, Şahin also announced in the parliament.

Some 1,915 unaccompanied children who were pulled out from under the rubble were registered, 1,766 of them were handed over to their families, 62 children were under follow-up in hospitals, and 81 children were taken into institutional care.

The identities of 35 children have still not been determined.

As part of the “Children in Safe” program, the ministry started to follow up on quake-stricken children, especially those who lost their parents or relatives, periodically, Şahin stated, adding that they also created 138 child-friendly areas in tent and container cities.