Child Trafficking News

The federal government has announced plans to divert well-meaning Australian volunteers from foreign orphanages that exploit fake orphans for profit. The foreign minister, Julie Bishop, will on Thursday announce a campaign involving states, territories, schools and universities to curb Australian involvement in so-called orphanage tourism in developing nations.

Child-protection groups claim some parents in countries such as Cambodia are increasingly placing their children in tourist supported orphanages because it is a better option then growing up in their own homes. UNICEF NZ executive director Vivien Maidaborn suggests the amount of orphanages may have gone up as a result of tourism.

In partnership with Lumos, the Cabinet of Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, met to discuss the issue of orphanage trafficking.

The Trafficking in Persons Report (affectionately called the TIP Report) is a U.S. Government document, or tool, intended to be used to engage foreign governments on the topic of human trafficking.