Stahili’s review of 2018: a year of action for families, not orphanages

 

2018 was another positive year for our team at Stahili as we continued our work to ensure that children grow up in families, not orphanages. As always, we were inspired every day by careleavers, fellow advocates, friends and supporters around the world.

Building on developments in 2017, 2018 was a momentous year of action. Here are some of the developments which give us hope as we look forward to 2019, the year of the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.  

1. Breakthrough year to end orphanage trafficking

We will remember 2018 as a breakthrough year in the recognition of the problem of trafficking of children to orphanages. The US State Department’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons report included a section on Child Institutionalisation and Human Trafficking following initial recognition of the problem in the Nepal narrative of its 2017 report. The issue also went mainstream – in November, the Thomson Reuters Foundation Trust Conference featured a panel on orphanage trafficking for the first time. Stahili took part in the event alongside friends and colleagues from HAART Kenya, Forget Me Not and Lumos.

Also in November, Australia became the first country in the world to recognise orphanage trafficking as a form of modern slavery in its Modern Slavery Act. This groundbreaking legislation is an important first step in compelling large companies to audit their supply chains and report on all activities related to the institutionalisation of children, including orphanage tourism.

The closing months of the year also saw high-level developments in the Netherlands, where a leading political party in the governing coalition (the VVD) introduced a ‘white paper’ initiative to combat orphanage tourism and trafficking. The initiative proposes a series of measures which will be discussed in an expert consultation process in the new year. The publication of this paper reminds us how small things can make a big difference: an article in the Dutch newspaper Trouw, which featured Stahili’s work in Kenya, was one of the articles which prompted Dutch MP Bente Becker to table questions to the Dutch Minister for Overseas Development, leading ultimately to the VVD initiative. We look forward to the outcomes of the proposal in 2019.

2. Deinstitutionalisation moves up the policy agenda

We were encouraged to see more governments around the world in 2018 recognise the harm caused by institutionalisation and work to reduce reliance on institutions in favour of family- and community-based models of care. Important developments took place in Haiti, Cambodia, and Vietnam, to name just a few countries where government policies have shifted towards family-based care.

In India, progress was made by state governments to put a landmark 2017 Supreme Court ruling into effect, compelling institutions to register, taking action to intervene in cases of abuse and neglect, and closing institutions.

Progress was also evident in several countries in Africa. The Egyptian government confirmed plans to close its orphanages by 2025, and significant closures of orphanages were announced in Ghana and Uganda. Rwanda made additional strides and is on course to become the first African country to close its orphanages in favour of family- and community-based care. In Kenya, the government continued to further its commitment towards family-based care for all children, working alongside Changing the Way We Care (CRS, Maestral and Lumos) as well as Stahili. ACCIK, an organisation made up of orphanage operators, also announced plans to close orphanages over a two-year period in seven counties in Kenya.

At the same time, the European Union reaffirmed its commitment to the transition from institutional to community-based living and redirected 2.7 billion euros in structural funding towards family- and community-based care in EU countries.

There were also important steps forward in overseas development aid.  The European Commission resolved to prioritise family-based care in the EU External Action aid budget, and the UK government announced its commitment to ensure that overseas aid will be directed to family-based care and will not be used to support orphanages.

3. The tide turns against orphanage volunteering

The year 2018 will also be remembered as the year when the harms of orphanage volunteering – and orphanage voluntourism – reached a global audience, sparking important debates about ethical volunteering, donating and travel.

We were proud to support The Love You Give campaign, developed by Better Care Network, which highlighted the damage that short-term volunteering can cause in perpetuating the orphanage industry.

Also, Better Care Network Netherlands launched a campaign to end student internships in orphanages, while Fontys School of Pedagogical Studies in the Netherlands became the latest university to sign the university pledge not to offer student placements in orphanages or similar institutions.

The Australian government became the first in the world to officially discourage orphanage volunteering as advocates in Australia introduced a new self-assessment kit and curriculum guide to engage teachers and students on the issue.

We were also encouraged to see leading faith-based mission groups rethinking their support for orphanages and promoting alternative mission strategies which support families. New guidance for ethical missions was published by CAFO, Faith To Action, and ACCI Missions and Relief.

4. New thinking in the travel and tourism industry

There were also hopeful signs in the travel and tourism industry that best practices in protecting children were gaining ground internationally. Good practice guidelines on Child Welfare in the Travel Industry were introduced by the ChildSafe Movement coalition and industry partners. In a sign of growing awareness of the need for more responsible practices in the tourism industry, one of the world’s leading travel companies, TUI, included orphanage trafficking for the first time in its annual modern slavery statement.

Travel companies continued to pull out of orphanage volunteering and visits. Among many positive developments, the Year Out Group took the pledge to end orphanage trips by its members, and the UK Association of British Travel Agents issued advice to gap year students not to engage in orphanage voluntourism.

5. Awareness grows of the harms of institutionalisation  

In 2018, we continued to learn about the negative impact of institutionalisation on children’s growth and development, and how family separation puts children’s well-being at risk.

The latest research of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project underlined the long-term harm of orphanages on child development, and investigative reports by Disability Rights International on Guatemala and Kenya showed how children with disabilities are often the most vulnerable and neglected group in care reforms. Giving hope for the future, the Global Disability Summit in July showed how countries can work together to address disability inclusion at all levels. 

In landmark reckonings with the past, inquiries into historical abuse in children’s care institutions were announced in Ireland, Scotland, and the United States. In Australia, the government issued an official apology to thousands of victims of abuse in institutional care in the past.

Events in 2018 also reminded us that family separation and institutionalisation are closely linked to other issues such as migration. Advocates around the world raised their voices against the US government’s border immigration policy of “Zero Tolerance” which led to families being separated, unaccompanied minors kept in detention indefinitely, and reports of children dying in custody, as the United Nations and others  warned of long-term harm to children.

6. Global momentum: working together to promote family-based care

Despite the many challenges, advocates proved in 2018 what can be achieved when they work together. For the first time, the UN General Assembly selected the theme of ‘children without parental care’ for its 2019 resolution on children’s rights, the result of joint efforts by over 80 organisations.

At Stahili we are proud to work with friends, partners and fellow advocates, including our colleagues in the Association for Alternative Family Care of Children Kenya, Better Care Network, the global Rethink Orphanages movement, and Better Care Network Netherlands, who inspire us in our work to give all children the opportunity to grow up in families.

We look forward to another year of collaboration and progress, and wish everyone a Happy New Year!