Are orphanages dangerous places?

Yes. Investigations worldwide consistently document abuse, neglect and exploitation in orphanages – including in well-funded settings with oversight.

These are not rare exceptions. They are a predictable consequence of concentrating vulnerable children in closed settings with high child-to-adult ratios and limited external scrutiny.

Over half of all children in orphanages experience physical or sexual abuse at a rate six times higher than in foster care. This is not a reflection of the people who work in orphanages. It is a reflection of the structural conditions in which there is no adult with an unconditional bond to a child.

Documented risks include:

Physical and emotional neglect as a structural feature of shift-based, rotating care with no named adult responsible for any individual child
Sexual violence and exploitation, which closed environments make easier to conceal. Girls with disabilities face specifically elevated risks.
Trafficking of children into orphanages – in some countries, more than 50% of orphanages have been found to be directly recruiting children from their families to sustain funding streams and attract donations
Voluntourism – the industry is estimated to be worth approximately US$2.6 billion per year, involving 1.6 million people annually. Well-intentioned short-term visits disrupt children’s attachment, expose them to a revolving door of adults, and in some cases directly enable abuse and exploitation
Children used as fundraising assets, kept in orphanages to attract donations that could otherwise support their families

The UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty (Nowak, 2019) documented the use of physical restraints, isolation and solitary confinement in orphanages, in some instances amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment.