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Since Myanmar opened its doors to tourism in 2011, the number of tourists visiting the country has grown and with it, the demand for visits to ‘orphanages’[i]. Myanmar is home to many monastic schools, government training schools and unregistered ‘orphanages’, many of which have limited child protection or record keeping systems in place[ii]. Studies have also uncovered that over 73 percent of the children living in residential care in Myanmar, have at least one living parent[iii].

The Child Safe Volunteering Hub in Myanmar is working with local partners in the country to:

  • promote responsible volunteering practices,
  • ensure the rights of all children to protection from harmful volunteering and tourism practices, and
  • enable systems change to strengthen child safeguarding outcomes.

The Myanmar hub facilitates partnerships through its office in Yangon and through its volunteers, who are placed with local and international partner organisations working in the child protection and tourism sectors.

Through these partnerships, the hub aims to:

  • raise awareness, promote collaboration and build on existing capacity of organisations working in child safeguarding and responsible volunteering and tourism,
  • provide organisations in Myanmar, with a link to international technical expertise and best practice,
  • connect residential care institutions with networks working to safeguard children and improve child rights-based practices, and
  • strengthen local child safeguarding systems and practices in residential care institutions, organisations, governments, communities, networks/coalitions and the tourism and private sectors.

The Child Safe Volunteering Hub, Myanmar website, provides a space for organisations working in the sector, to share and advocate for child safeguarding best practices, resources and information such as toolkits and upcoming events.

If you would like to share you work on this website, please contact us at: lucille.k.delahunty@gmail.com

 

 

[i] Holmes, O. (2016, September 29). Orphanage tourism: fears of child exploitation boom as Myanmar opens up. The Guardian.

[ii] The Department of Social Welfare and UNICEF. (2011, August). The Situation of Children in Residential Care Facilities in Myanmar. UNICEF.

[iii] The Department of Social Welfare and UNICEF. (2011, August). The Situation of Children in Residential Care Facilities in Myanmar. UNICEF.