This article reports on the money-making system of orphanages and orphan tourism in Cambodia. According to the article, orphanage visits and orphanage tourism are a common activity for foreign visitors in Cambodia. However, what tourists do not realize, is that many of these orphanages are unlicensed, “with no safety checks, few real orphans, and subject to growing concern about neglect and abuse.”
Furthermore, orphanage tourism attracts more private donations from foreigners and orphanages have become a multimillion dollar business in the country, according to the article. Cambodia has seen a boom in the number of orphanages in recent years, primarily because it lacks a social welfare network to support poor families, says the article. The standards of care in these institutions is very poor, many of them failing to meet minimum standards and putting children at risk of neglect and abuse.