We were grateful to partner at a UN General Assembly side event in New York City on September 19, 2023 with one of our Working Group on Orphanage Trafficking partners, Hopeland. Sahar Albazar MP from Egypt was able to participate in the event where Ruth Wacuka shared that most orphans are not orphans, Senator Linda Reynolds (Australia) provided opening remarks virtually on her resolution she is presenting at the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Chair Anne Basham shared on the realities of “voluntourism.”
Orphanage traffickers target children who are uniquely susceptible to trafficking due to:
- poverty
- lack of access to education or other services
- other family crises
False promises of support, good education and other opportunities are often made to families during recruitment to entice them to relinquish their children. Unknown to most volunteers and donors, many of the children in these orphanages have at least one living parent and other living kin who often love them and do not realize that they are being put up for adoption.
Our Working Group on Orphanage Trafficking is working on a Legislative Toolkit in preparation for the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) convening in October at which Senator Linda Reynolds will present her Resolution on Orphanage Trafficking.
In preparation for this one of our working group members, Hopeland, has prepared this coalition letter in support of these anti-orphanage trafficking efforts at the IPU with the input of fellow working group members, and it is now being included in a Global Citizen advocacy campaign. So far there are over 50,000 signatures.
Thank you doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation and The Foundation United for your support of this Working Group.
