A new report released by the Better Care Network (BCN) is cautioning donors about contributing to international orphanage organizations that may be contributing to human trafficking. The BCN defines “orphanage trafficking” as a form of trafficking “in which children are recruited and trafficked into institutions for the purpose of financial profit and other forms of exploitation.” The study noted that the practice is especially prevalent in unregulated institutions, which can contain as many as 80% of “orphaned” children populations globally. The problem is particularly present in countries like Myanmar and Cambodia. In such situations, individuals will falsify a child’s records by offering up false birth certificates, parental death certificates, and parental abandonment forms in order to meet qualifications for residential care facilities (RCF).

Many of these children have at least one living parent and are living in extreme poverty, with parents being convinced to send their children to institutions with false promises of better education and a better life. Traffickers can then earn money from well-meaning donors who sponsor children at these institutions without realizing the institution is not registered with the government. Children may also be exploited sexually. “Numerous instances were cited in which clientelism was manipulated to facilitate sexual exploitation of children in RCFs. In every case that involved sexual exploitation, directors were identified as perpetrators engaged in either sexual offenses or the procurement of children for child sexual exploitation,” the study noted.

The study involved interviews from 24 qualified social workers, 10 of whom worked in Myanmar and 14 of whom worked in Cambodia. One participant noted how RCF directors can be involved in the scheme. “In these orphanages, children are subject to the will of the director. If the director is using the orphanage as a business, then the children’s rights are going to be violated,” noted one worker. Another noted that children are often taken from stable families. “Directors whose motive is to profit from running an orphanage use clientelist relationships to recruit children from stable middle-class families as part of the strategy as they don’t have challenging behaviors like children who’ve experienced trauma. It’s easier for the directors to fulfill their goals with these children and maintain the false pretense of an orphanage that helps disadvantaged children.”

A spokesperson for Rebecca Nhep, the senior technical advisor at BCN noted that Christians, who spend $2.5 billion annually to residential care throughout the world, may be particularly susceptible to unwittingly financially supporting trafficking. The spokesperson stated that despite good intentions, volunteering and providing resources may only further motivate unscrupulous institutions. “The more well-meaning international donors and volunteers give their time and resources to orphanages, the more motivation unscrupulous orphanage operators have to recruit children from vulnerable families. Instead, our resources can go toward community-strengthening services that help to keep families together,” the spokesperson told The Christian Post. The spokesperson also stressed the importance of Christians and families being aware of such schemes.