APAD 268: Children as tourist attractions

In Cambodia, there is an on-going campaign to end what is dubbed as “orphanage tourism”.

The poster below is produced by Friends International (FI) whch spearheaded this campaign calling out to tourists to help end orphanage tourism.

This sign was hanging at the coffee stall inside the Russian Market where a lot of tourists visit.

But just what is “orphanage tourism”? According to the FI’s Think Child Safe Project:

When traveling to Cambodia, it has become a norm for tourists to be approached by children, requesting that they make a visit to their orphanage before leaving town. Generally, a visit would include a short performance or dance routine by the children, accompanied with a request for small donation to assist with orphanage running costs. An entire industry has grown out of thousands of tourist visits. It is known as orphanage tourism.

It just breaks my heart every time I hear stories of abuse and/or exploitation of children. To know more about this issue and what you can do to help, please visit the campaign website: Think Child Safe.

To see more signs from around the world, click the logo below.