Overseas volunteering in orphanages has become a trend for tourists from Australia and other Western countries; this trend has fueled the recruitment and trafficking of poor children to fill orphanages as a means to profit off the donations of tourists.

Australia's potential on orphanage tourism is now on the radar of academic institutions in the country, which often promote orphanage tourism as a volunteering option for their students. 

A letter to Australia's Attorney General and Justice Minister is being drafted by the foreign affairs and aid subcommittee to recommend an immediate ban on Australia's involvement in orphanage tourism.

In this BBC Radio interview, Jane Garvey speaks to Australian Senator Linda Reynolds, CEO of Australian Christian Churches International Relief Rebecca Nhep, and CEO of Lumos Georgette Mulheir about the motivation behind Australia's potential ban on orphanage tourism. 

With Australia's recent efforts to end orphanage tourism, Education Minister Simon Birmingham has declared that he intends to reduce the involvement and support of Asutralian schools and universities in orphanage tourism. 

This article describes a 60 Minutes interview with Tara Winkler, co-founder of Cambodian Children's Trust, about the exploitation of children in orphanages, the harm caused by orphanage tourism, and Australia's potential ban on orphanage tourism. 

A United Nations report calls for an independent inquiry into the abuse of children in state care in New Zealand 1950-1990. 

The Tasmanian government has committed to reforming the state's child protection system, including investments in prevention and early intervention services, hiring additional staff and streamlining the reporting process. 

"Thousands of Stolen Generation children [in Australia], some just babies, have had their lives permanently affected after they were charged and given criminal records under state government policies that systematically deemed it a crime to be an Indigenous child in ‘need of protection,'" says this investigative report from NITV.

Despite good intentions, volunteers and donors from Australia and the larger international community are supporting orphanages separating children from their families. Australia is seeking to curb support for orphanages in countries like Cambodia, where the trafficking of children into orphanages is a common practice.