In this episode of “Crossing Continents” from BBC Radio 4, Ed Butler reports on a cycle of abuse in the orphanages of Bali, Indonesia. According to the radio episode, there are about seventy orphanages on the Indonesian island of Bali, housing thousands of children. Many of these children have been recruited from poor families, on the promise of decent food, education, and healthcare. However, in many instances, these orphanages are turned into money-making operations and the children are not provided with the services promised. Instead, orphanage owners may abuse and exploit the children, using them for free labor or forcing them to beg. The orphanages also profit largely from well-meaning tourists, who visit the homes and donate their money to improve the living conditions they see. The radio host asks “Is such charity actually intensifying the misery of Bali's most vulnerable children?”
