This week in Cambodia, a report was released stating that an Australian-run orphanage had been shut down in an emergency response to human trafficking and abuse (you can read the article here SHISA - Emergency Shutdown ).
Before leaving this year, friends would sometimes confuse my plans of working in a school with 'Miranda's trip to an orphanage in Cambodia'. Without taking any offense that my friends didn't know my actual plans (well actually Jemma, I regularly took offense that you couldn't get it right), this little sentence made me cringe inside and I instantly felt the need to say 'no, no - I'm not working in an orphanage'. Why?
Here's why.
Cambodia's tourism has been booming over the last few years. People are coming here to see the the stunning and ancient temples in Siem Reap, to learn more about the Khmer Rouge regime in Phnom Penh's museums and to soak up the sun and beach down south in Kep. Most come here with the best intentions and when they arrive, the poverty they face draws them to say something along the lines of 'I need to do something'. Keen to help this war-torn country, increasing numbers of tourists are
now also working as volunteers.
Unfortunately, well-intentioned volunteers have helped to create a surge in the number of residential care homes (orphanages), tempting impoverished parents with promises of an education and western-style upbringing. In 'worst cases' these children are 'rented' or even 'bought' from their
families because they are perceived to be of more value by earning money pretending to be a poor orphan than studying
and eventually graduating from school. Parents 'willingly' send their kids to these institutions believing (through the lies they are told) it
will provide their child with a better life. Unfortunately in very many
cases, it won't.
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Orphanages rely on donations and know that the more children they have in their care, the more 'at risk' and 'in need' they are and therefore, more likely to receive funding. Unfortunately, in many of these institutions (but not all), very little of the money donated will ever actually assist the children who will remain living in sub-standard conditions. The orphanages have also relied on the big hearts and curiosity of tourists who are invited into the facility and asked to stay and play with the children.
I get it. I once did that.
In Hoi An, Vietnam - my friend and I visited an orphanage run by an Irish woman that we'd heard about at a local cafe. It was a warm and fuzzy sort of experience at the time. Cuddling little children and playing games with them before sharing the lychees we'd purchased as a gift before entering. We'd left a donation at the end of the day and (as 19 year olds on our first trip through South-East Asia) promised that we'd return.
We didn't - and it's taken me 7 years now to reflect on that experience.
The 19 year old me walked away thinking that somehow I'd made a difference in the lives of those kids. I'd put a smile on their face. I'd given them fruit. I'd given them love, hope, blah blah - who knows what I thought I gave them.
Really - a stranger, speaking a foreign language, entered their home, took photos, gave them food, held them, waved goodbye and never returned.
When would that ever be OK in Australia? Or anywhere?
This is SUCH a massive topic and debate for people working with vulnerable children and victims of human trafficking here in Phnom Penh, and mixed in with the heat - doesn't take much to get the blood boiling when reports like the one released by SISHA this morning come out.
Below is a little more information on orphanage tourism. Please, please, PLEASE consider these things before you embark on any journey that may lead you to visiting or volunteering in an orphanage.
Orphanage Tourism - ChildSafe Network
This document seeks to assist travelers and volunteers in
finding a way to contribute, yet avoid situations or actions that may
lead to child exploitation. Certain 'tourist attractions' such as
orphanage tours exploit children's vulnerabilities.
Friends International Resources
Friends is a leading social enterprise, saving lives and building futures of the most marginalized children and youth, their families and their communities in South-East Asia and across the world. This is a list of documents including annual reports, stories and statistics.
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