Displaying 1 - 10 of 27
"New Zealand’s Catholic Church formally apologised on Friday to the survivors of abuse within the church and said its systems and culture must change," says this article from Reuters. According to the article, "an interim report by the Commission in December found up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were physically and sexually abused in New Zealand’s faith-based and state care institutions from the 1960s to early 2000s."
This article from ABC News explores the disproportionate representation of Indigenous children and young people in Victoria's residential care facilities. "Placement in residential facilities is reserved for children at significant risk of harm in their own homes, with complex support needs, or who are otherwise unable to live in foster or kinship care," says the article. but "Victoria's youth residential care system has been subject to repeated criticism and inquiries over what youth advocates say are systemic failures to provide already traumatised young people with a safe and stable…
"While orphanages no longer exist in Western Australia, thousands of traumatised children live in out-of-home care in what some child protection staff call 'hidden' residential institutions," says this article from WA Today. "About 5500 children were living in out-of-home placements, including foster care arrangements and group homes, across [Western Australia] as of June 30." According to the article, "there were 375 children in 64 residential care group homes run by state government or community service organisations" as of June 30. "Children who have been victims of neglect or abuse are…
"A group representing survivors of abuse while in faith-based care [in New Zealand] believes victims could die before there is any satisfactory resolution to their claims against churches," says this article from RNZ. "The Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-based institutions wants an independent authority set up immediately to deal with claims for redress," the article continues. A spokesperson for the group is calling on the Abuse in Care Royal Commission to make a recommendation for an independent resolution service to be established urgently.
"The Victorian Ombudsman is calling for "major reform" of the state's residential care system, after investigating allegations that five children, as young as 11, were physically and sexually assaulted while in the state's care," says this article from ABC News in Australia. "Ombudsman Deborah Glass said the children had needed a safe home, but in residential care ended up 'more damaged, with even greater odds to overcome to lead meaningful and productive lives.'" In her report to the Victorian Government, Glass made several recommendations for change to provide children with better care.…
This episode of Foreign Correspondent from ABC News in Australia exposes the "ugly truth" that donations and volunteer efforts of Westerners, including Australians, often drive an exploitative orphanage industry in developing countries (in this case, Nepal). "Traffickers deliver the children to illegal orphanages where they're used to attract foreign donors and volunteers," says Foreign Correspondent.
The episode features an interview with Kate van Doore, Australian lawyer and co-founder of Forget Me Not, who started an orphanage in Kathmandu in 2006 before realizing that the children…
This article accompanies an episode of Foreign Correspondent from ABC News Australia entitled 'Paper Orphans.' It tells the story of Devi, a 10-year-old girl in Nepal "forced to pose as an orphan" who is being reunited with her family. "Her story reveals the harm being done by the good intentions of charitable Australians," says the article. The article describes how Devi and her family "are part of the complicated story of child trafficking in Nepal, where children are falsely portrayed as orphans…
This podcast episode by Tiny Spark explores how the surge in orphanage volunteers may lead to child trafficking and asks who is benefitting from these experiences: vulnerable children or foreign volunteers? The episode also seeks to discover better alternatives for those who want to do good in the world through short-term volunteer opportunities. The podcast features interviews with Weh Yeoh (CEO & Co-Founder of Umbo and Founder, OIC Cambodia) a former orphanage volunteer from Australia, anti-trafficking advocate Sophie Otiende of Kenya, and …
Next month, Australia's Northern Territory Royal Commission will report findings from its investigation into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory and offer recommendations for the youth justice and child protection systems. In this PM Radio story, the family of an indigenous teen placed in residential care who recently took her own life calls on the government to prioritize kinship care placements in its upcoming recommendations.
Orphanage volunteers often travel abroad with good intentions, but their "help" is contributing to the growing business of orphanage voluntourism, which profits by offering opportunities to meet the demand of Westerners hoping to help children abroad. In turn, children are being separated from their families, receiving improper care, and even exploited in the process.