Orphan Definition

'Orphan' Definition

It is always mentioned by some folks, that "so called orphans" Do HAVE relatives, even one or both biological parents. There is an implied meaning that someone is Lying about the "so called orphan". Well, since the Korean War Baby is not a scholar or even Master degree holder, he must rely on the googling of information on the internet. He discovered first these interesting definitions from the Languages of origins that came to be known in English as "Orphan".
That's Greek to Him!

o̓ρφανός (Greek)
or-fan-os' (Latin)

"Of uncertain affinity; bereaved (“orphan”), that is, parentless: - comfortless, fatherless.

Examples in New Testament:

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Many verses in the New Testament speak of the "Adoption" as children of God (later post). What? Can the term "fatherless" mean maybe "having a mother but no father" as in a Bastard?

Then in the Hebrew Language (Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary)

יםתו  #H3490
yâthôm
yaw-thome'

From an unused root meaning to be lonely; a bereaved person: - fatherless (child), orphan.

Deu 24:17  "Do not deprive foreigners and orphansH3490 of their rights; and do not take a widow's garment as security for a loan."

Jer 49:11  Leave your
orphans; I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in Me.

Lam 5:3  We are orphansH3490 and fatherless,H369 our mothersH517 are as widows.H490

The Hebrew scriptures were written approximately 1200 BCE until 200 BCE (Before the coming or birth of Jesus Christ). The New Testament was written in the 1st Century.

*******************************************************

What is important is the FACT that the various Hague Conventions HCCH/Full Text_PDF  DO acknowledge that the term ORPHAN may mean a child with out ONE of it's Biological parents. UNICEF well, well, well, my word! They define an orphan as:

"UNICEF and global partners define an orphan as a child who has lost one
or both parents. By this definition there were over 132 million orphans

in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean in 2005.

This large figure represents not only children who have lost both

parents, but also those who have lost a father but have a surviving

mother or have lost their mother but have a surviving father.

Of the more than 132 million children classified as orphans, only 13
million have lost both parents. Evidence clearly shows that the vast

majority of orphans are living with a surviving parent grandparent, or

other family member.  95 per cent of all orphans are over the age of
five.

This definition contrasts with concepts of orphan in many industrialized countries, where a child must have lost both parents to qualify as an orphan. UNICEF and numerous international organizations adopted the broader definition of orphan in the mid-1990s as the AIDS pandemic began leading to the death of millions of parents worldwide, leaving an ever increasing number of children growing up without one or more parents. So the terminology of a ‘single orphan’ – the loss of one parent – and a ‘double orphan’ – the loss of both parents – was born to
convey this growing crisis.



SORRY, GOTTA SHOUT HERE!!! THE UNICEF DEFINITION 'was born to convey this growing crisis' IS WRONG! THE ORIGINAL WORDS FROM, 2-3 THOUSAND YEARS AGO MEANT:

"fatherless (child), orphan" יםתו

parentless: - comfortless, fatherless. o̓ρφανός (Greek) 

or-fan-os' (Latin)

Now Look at this:

Hague Convention Adoption and Eligibility

On April 1, 2008, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption went into force within the United States. As a result, new regulations passed by Congress in the Intercountry Adoption Act (IAA) of 2000 will alter certain adoption procedures for adopting children from Hague Convention countries. The process for adopting orphans and non-orphans from Non-Hague countries remains the same.


The USCIS has introduced two new forms, I-800A “Application for
Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention
Country,” and Form I-800 “Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative,” which can be used for any qualified adoption cases involving children who reside in any country that has ratified the Hague Adoption Convention. Similar to an orphan adoption, if both the child and the parent qualify for a Hague Convention adoption, the two year residency and custody requirements do not apply.  But essentially, the Hague Adoption Convention only applies to “orphan” adoption, with a very limited expansion on the definition of orphan.


Later on we see "Who qualifies as a Convention Adoptee?"

1. Who qualifies as a Convention adoptee?

Under the IAA, a child is considered a convention adoptee if his birth parents, parent in the case of a child with only one sole of surviving parent, or other person or institution with legal custody of the child, gives their written consent to end their legal relationship with the child and allow the child’s emigration and adoption. A child may also be considered a convention adoptee if his birth parents are incapable of providing proper care for the child and have placed that child for adoption.


This definition is different than that of an “orphan” under
U.S. immigration law Adoption-FAQ. The definition of an orphan used for US immigration law that applies to non-Hague Convention Adoption is  
*1.The child does not have any parents because of the death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, or separation or loss from, both parents.
2. The child’s sole or surviving parent is not able to take proper care of the child and has, in writing, irrevocably released the child for emigration and
adoption.
 

Now we see that even UNICEF, Hague Conventions, US Immigration, and don't forget the Global Partners (NGO's) DO CONSIDER A CHILD WITH ONLY 1, BIOLOGICAL PARENT, RELATIVE OR LEGAL GUARDIAN as an ORPHAN.

Lamentations 5:3  We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.