In this blog post, Martin Punaks of Lumos explains some of the implications of the recent US Government Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report's recognition of orphanages as "a destination point for trafficked children, which historically has never been acknowledged before." Punaks describes the many years of advocacy that ultimately resulted in this acknowledgement in the TIP Report, particularly the legal argument made by Kate van Doore of Griffith University.
"The implications for orphanage trafficking being recognised in the TIP Report are wide ranging," writes Punaks. "It will encourage the Nepal Government to take action against this form of trafficking. It will influence how donors allocate funds. It will increase opportunities for the criminalisation of perpetrators under an anti-trafficking mandate, and will allow for children who have been removed from their families and institutionalised to be accepted as survivors of trafficking. Most significantly, it will open the door for similar recognition and action in other countries, including Haiti."