(Guardian) Child protection and NGO workers are pleading with tourists and volunteers to stay away from orphanages in Cambodia, claiming so-called “orphanage tourism” damages the children and enables exploitation.
The number of orphanages in the country has risen by 75% in the five years to 2011, according to UNICEF. However, most children living in them (about 77%) are not orphans and child protection workers say such institutions should be an absolute last resort.