Forgotten Children
Forgotten Children is a four-part series on the tragic and underreported problem of childhood grief – and the efforts to address it. Parental death has been rising in the U.S. due to COVID-19, the overdose epidemic and gun violence.
Forgotten Children is a four-part series on the tragic and underreported problem of childhood grief – and the efforts to address it. Parental death has been rising in the U.S. due to COVID-19, the overdose epidemic and gun violence. Stories by Michele Cohen Marill.
Support for the reporting in the series was provided by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2024 National Fellowship and its Kristy Hammam Fund for Health Journalism and by the Commonwealth Fund.
Forgotten Children: The Unseen Victims of Gun Violence Are the Children Left Behind
Part 1: Gun violence in the U.S. is typically tracked by logging shooting incidents or victims or homicide arrests. But this tragedy reveals an overlooked casualty count: the grieving children left behind. We explore the issue with reporting from News Orleans in partnership with Verite News. Read the story here.
‘Bereavement Deserts’: Amid a Rise in Parental Deaths, Grief in Children Is Often Overlooked
Part 2: Bereaved children, left behind after the death of parents, caregivers, and other family members, are rarely a part of the national conversation about deaths from gun violence, overdose or other causes. In most places, there is no system to identify children who have lost a parent so they can be offered services. Read the story here.
COVID Stole a Parent from Over 200,000 Children. Indian Country Lost the Most
Part 3: COVID was not an equal-opportunity destroyer. American Indian and Alaska Native children were orphaned at three times the rate of white children, and Black children at double the rate. Without support, children who lose a parent or caregiver are at risk of developing lasting problems with depression, lower academic achievement, and behavioral issues. Read the story here.
Opioid Orphans: Grandparents Struggle to Raise Children Left Behind
Part 4: We take a look at the large number of grandparents who have stepped up to raise their grandchildren and how, despite billions set aside in settlement funds, very little goes to relatives raising bereaved children. Read the story here.
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