Volunteering in orphanages has become a popular activity for people travelling to developing nations as a way for westerners to ‘give back’ whilst seeing the world. However, research has shown that the majority of orphans have at least one living parent, and have often been trafficked into institutions as way to generate profit from western volunteers. This report describes the effects that orphanage tourism has on children as a form of exploitation that causes detrimental harm to a child’s well-being and development.
Available in: English