This opinion piece from the Daily Nation finds "strong evidence" of orphanage trafficking in Kenya. "Poor parents and guardians are easily deceived into handing over their children to such homes, lured by promises of a good education and life for them," says the author. The article notes the harmful impacts of institutionalization on children, particularly for those under the age of three. "Institutionalisation violates a child’s right to survival and development, parental care, freedom of association, freedom of worship, and other civil and socio-economic rights."
In response, the country's Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act proposes an amendment to Section 22 of the Children Act 2001 to ensure that "any infringement on the rights of the child that constitutes a trafficking offence is tried under the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act." The authors highlights the other ways in which institutionalization is exploitative of children - including the practice in some homes of forcing children to perform for donors and volunteers or deliberately depriving children of food and other necessities to give them a sympathetic appearance - and concludes with recommendations for addressing the trafficking of children.