This newsletter issue from Senator Linda Reynolds of Western Australia, written in conjunction with Kate van Doore of Griffith Law School, was written in preparation for the Australian Parliamentary inquiry on modern slavery and describes the ways in which orphanage trafficking constitutes modern-day slavery. The senator calls on her constituents to help by committing not to volunteer in orphanages overseas and encouraging others to do the same.
Australians have long known the harm institutionalised care can do to children, yet Australians are rushing in record numbers to support these same facilities overseas. This rush has seen the number of residential care institutions increase in many developing countries, despite the number of at risk children declining. In Cambodia, for example, the number of orphanages has doubled in the past five years to more than 500 – despite there being significantly fewer children at risk.
The information sheet highlights the work of ReThink Orphanages, Forget Me Not, Lumos, Cambodian Children's Trust, and others to end the institutionalization of children and the exploitation of children in orphanages. The sheet concludes with "Five Steps to Becoming a Smart Volunteer," reminding readers that children are not tourist attractions.