Cambodia faces uphill struggle to reform its orphanages

By Astrid Zweynert

What they do not realise is that the impoverished Southeast Asian country is in the grip of a boom in orphanages, many of them unlicensed, with no safety checks, few real orphans, and subject to growing concern about neglect and abuse.

Most of Cambodia's orphanages are financed by private donations from abroad, but no one knows exactly how much money flows into the country or how many centres there are.

"It's hard to gauge because many orphanages are not transparent about their accounts, but it's a pretty safe guess that it's a multimillion dollar business," said James Sutherland, communications coordinator at Friends International, a social enterprise that works with disadvantaged children.