This article describes the efforts of Kate Van Doore and other advocates to push the Australian and UK governments to help end their countries' support of orphanages overseas. "Traffickers have worked out that orphanages are good business and can attract large donations, leading to a global boom in orphanages, from Cambodia to Haiti, which often lure children from poor rural families with promises of an education," says the article.
Orphanage trafficking was included in the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report in 2017, which noted that "the industry was fueled by demand from tourists to visit or volunteer in orphanages, often for a fee or donation. Many orphanages are set up in tourist spots. Some make children perform shows, send them out to beg, or force them into labor or sexual exploitation, it said."
The article also describes how children are put at risk in institutions when unvetted volunteers are allowed access to them without proper background checks and that "the constant rotation of volunteers also creates serious attachment problems, which impact their relationships as adults."
The article also includes some interviews from care leavers who share their experiences of growing up in orphanages.