By Miriam Karmall, from Freedom United

August 11th was International Youth Day.

Today, you can take a stand against orphanage trafficking and call for an end to the cycle of abuse that’s putting children at risk while in institutional care.

Thank you for taking action on the campaign to end orphanage trafficking – you've joined over 100,000 supporters around the world calling on volunteer tour operators to take a stand. Together,we’ve been able to successfully convince volunteer tour operators, Global Vision International and African Impact, to stop orphanage placements.

Unfortunately, their peers – Go Overseas, Work Away, Love Volunteers, and Plan My Gap Year – have yet to follow their lead. 

So, to mark International Youth Day we’re taking to social media to urge them to follow suit and we want you to join in!

“Children in institutions are sometimes subjected to forced labor through the act of “selling their time” to others in order to elicit donations and sponsorship for the institution.”[1]