Australia Cracks Down on Orphanage Tourism

Australia has become the first country in the world to recognise so-called orphanage trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery.

Australian Senator Linda Reynolds called orphan tourism the "perfect 21st-Century scam" earlier this year, telling the Thomson Reuters Foundation foreign visitors were left with a "sugar rush" after apparently doing something good - and then sharing it on social media.

Many of the children come from poor backgrounds, and are handed to the orphanages by their families on the promise of receiving an education, being well-cared for and well-fed.

The reality is, the children are used to raise money that often ends up in the pocket of the orphanage director, Chloe Setter, senior advisor on anti-trafficking and voluntourism at Lumos, a charity working to end the problem of children living in poor quality institutions, explained.

According to the US State Department, "many orphanages use the children to raise funds by forcing them to perform shows for or interact and play with potential donors to encourage more donations".