Cambodian Government Begins Orphanage Inspections UPDATED

‘Volunteer Tourism’ is one reason cited for the inspections. “The Cambodia Daily newspaper reported Wednesday that a spokesman for the Ministry of Social Affairs had confirmed action commenced out of concern for children at orphanages.”

The number of orphanages have doubled since 2005 to 269. The number of children have increased to 12,000 from 5751.Three-quarters of the children have a living parent. Only 21 orphanages are government-funded. The rest are faith-based and funded from overseas.

The UNICEF country head  said, “‘Even with the best intentions, tourists and volunteers, who make significant contributions towards orphanages, are funding a system that is contributing to the separation of children from their families,'”

“Bridle said putting children in care ‘should be a last resort.’

Rights organizations have long been concerned that some orphanages are simply thinly disguised businesses, allowing unscrupulous people to earn money from children.”

Cambodian government to investigate orphanages after UN concern
[Deutche Press-Agentur 3/23/11]

Update: “The Cambodian government on Thursday introduced guidelines aiming to better protect orphans and vulnerable children after childcare experts voiced alarm over an unregulated boom in orphanages.

The new standards emphasise that placing children in institutions should be “a last resort”, after UNICEF said earlier this year that three quarters of the 12,000 children in Cambodia’s orphanages had at least one living parent.

“At all times, efforts should be made to keep children in families or community-based care, with residential care as a last resort and a temporary arrangement,” the newly adopted Standards and Guidelines document states.”

“UNICEF’s Cambodia Representative Richard Bridle said the measures were an important step, but warned that the country needed to “build capacity and resources” to carry them out.”

Cambodia moves to limit orphanage boom
[Agence France-Presse 9/8/11]

Update 2: Orphanage tourism in Cambodia was discussed at the Fifth World Responsible Tourism Day on Wednesday November 9, 2011.

“The travel industry is inadvertently contributing to “internal human trafficking” in Cambodia by developing a view of responsible tourism which encourages travellers to visit and donate to orphanages.

Michael Horton, founder of Cambodian non-profit organisation ConCERT, launched a stinging rebuke on a day of debates about Responsible Tourism opened by Fairtrade Foundation executive director Harriet Lamb.

Horton said tourist visits to orphanages in Siem Reap were exacerbating the problem of child poverty, with some owners keeping children dirty and malnourished to encourage donations.

He also said that 72% of children in orphanages were not orphans but merely came from poor families, and described the movement of children across the country to institutions where tourists visit as “simply internal child trafficking”.

Instead, Horton urged delegates to develop an approach to responsible tourism which focused on community based-support and poverty reduction, and “not just providing a satisfying experience for paying guests”.

Horton’s views were echoed by responsible tourism expert Professor Harold Goodwin, who pledged his support for the campaign, and UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai, who said there must be a shift away from the concept of tourists as superior to local people who were seen as attractions.

Earlier in the day, Lamb opened the fifth World Responsible Tourism Day by calling on all travel companies to place responsible tourism on boardroom agendas.

“Maybe these tough times could be a chance for a radical rethink. This is the ideal time to be brave and innovative and take this vision for responsible tourism to the heart of your business,” she said.

Lamb said she hoped the launch of the first UK fair-trade holiday package to South Africa on Wednesday would be the “first building block” towards a certified fair-trade movement for travel.”

WTM: Travel ‘contributing to human trafficking’ in Cambodia
[Travel Weekly 11/10/11]

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