I have been back in Cambodia for 3 months and one of the most disturbing things have heard about was about the situation with youth leaving orphanages in Cambodia. There are more than 200 orphanages in Cambodia that have often been set up by well meaning people (including many expatriates) who just wanted to ‘do something’. Without considering the long term implications of taking in a group of children they opened the doors and children came. The selection criteria was often not clear and they didn’t have the man-power (or sometimes the language) to ensure that those who came did not have a family/community who could take them in. As a result children who shouldn’t really be in orphanages are there.

Is the anti-trafficking movement the new black?

I was recently asked if I was concerned that the current anti-trafficking or “Modern day abolition” movement might be only a trend, and the current growth and passion that are fueling it will quickly diminish as the “next trendy cause comes along.” Another person asked if I thought that “people might be just jumping on a band wagon?”