Institutions are always breeding grounds for predatory behavior....
Re “Cambodian Activist’s Fall Exposes Broad Deception” (news article, June 15): Luring poor and vulnerable families to give up their children in exchange for a better life for them in an orphanage is a problem not only in Cambodia but also around the world. Most of the estimated 8 million to 10 million children living in orphanages today have living parents and extended families. But often, empty promises of an education, better food or medical care are what push children into orphanages.
But the reality of life in an orphanage can be much more sinister. Children are physically and sexually abused. They can be trafficked for sex, illegal adoptions, labor, pornography and organs.
Donors need to stop funding the building of orphanages and instead fund programs that will keep families intact. A steady flow of donor dollars, which benefit those who own and run orphanages rather than children, guarantees the continued proliferation of them.