Phnom Penh (dpa) – Children have been neglected, forced to solicit funding and perform in bars while being cared for by Cambodian orphanages, a study released Wednesday found. The rapid rise of orphanages was branded “a cause for concern” and an option that should be of “last resort” in the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation report. The number of orphanages in Cambodia has risen dramatically in the last seven years, most of them foreign-funded. Most of the estimated 12,000 youngsters in residential care have at least one surviving parent, it said. Rights groups suspect that some orphanages are simply thinly disguised businesses. “Some residential care centers forced children to perform in dangerous situations, such as bars, in order to solicit funds. Children were described as being bullied, neglected and emotionally abused,” the study supported by UNICEF found. “Since foreigners are known to give money, residential care centers have begun to solicit more funds through ‘orphanage' tourism. This put a burden on children and at its worst exposes them to risk,” it said. Some centers were also found to be raising money in a way that had begun to resemble a business and susceptible to corruption, as they were often went unmonitored. One interviewee described children trawling through bars in the tourist hub of Siem Reap at 10 pm wearing signs stating “please support us,” handing out flyers and playing instruments for drunken visitors. Another former center volunteer described children being forced into dance training for such long hours that they were not able to study. Many care centers put on traditional Apsara dance shows to entertain tourists. In September, the government said it had improved standards to regulate how vulnerable children are assessed and cared for. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/Aca1P Tags: Cambodia, Children, Orphanage Section: East Asia, Human Rights, Latest News
