The Australian government introduced a Modern Slavery Bill into parliament in July, which is expected to be passed before the end of 2018. The Bill recognises orphanage trafficking and exploitation of children in institutions within the scope of the definition of modern slavery, making Australia the first country in the world to recognise this form of modern slavery in legislation.
The proposed legislation and the growing recognition of orphanage trafficking and orphanage tourism as a form of child exploitation could have implications for a range of Australian organisations and businesses, including Australian charities and churches who currently fund overseas orphanages (or other forms of residential care) and/or facilitate volunteering and voluntourism (including short-term mission trips) to orphanages.
As such, this briefing note has been written to give Australian charities and churches currently engaging with overseas residential care institutions an overview of the issue and an understanding of how to ensure any overseas funding and volunteering supports the best interests of children in line with national and international legal frameworks.
