Australian-run orphanage in Cambodia raided: Ruth Golder, the Australian founder of the 'Love in Action' orphanage, denies allegations of child abuse and says she'll fight to get 21 children back into her care.
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| Children wait in a bus after being taken from the love in action orphanage Photo: Lindsay Murdoch |
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| These images off the website of the orphanage raided in Phnom Penh. |
March 25, 2013
Bridie Jabour
brisbanetimes.com.au reporter
A Cambodian orphanage run by a Queensland woman has been shut down amid allegations of child abuse and human trafficking.
South East Asia Investigations into Social and Humanitarian Activities was part of the raids on the Christian orphanage Love in Action in Phnom Penh last Friday.
The orphanage is mostly run from Australian donations and was founded in 2004 by Sunshine Coast woman Ruth Golder, 71, who is fighting the allegations.
Five children left the orphanage last month and walked across the city to report they were beaten and not fed properly in the facility, according to a statement by SISHA.
Two weeks later, another seven children arrived at the volunteer's place where those five children were and claimed some of them had been kicked out and others had escaped.
They made similar allegations about child neglect at the Love in Action orphanage.
An official investigation was launched by SISHA staff along with officials from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veteran and Youth Rehabilitation, the Phnom Penh Department of Social Affairs, Veteran and Youth Rehabilitation, and the Department of Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection.
SISHA said Ms Golder admitted to authorities her orphanage was not registered.
They raided the orphanage on Friday and removed 21 children, with seven unaccounted for.
Officials are trying to trace the families of the children and Ms Golder's son, Rod Golder, says his mother will fight to get the children back.
"Mum has been doing this all her life and there is no way in the world she would do any of this," he told the Sunshine Coast Daily.
"She adores the kids and just loves it over there; she has always worked hard with good intentions."
Ms Golder has lived in Cambodia since 2001 and according to the Love in Action website, the orphanage is mostly funded by donations from Australians.
"Love in Action is a charity based on Christian values which aims to show the people of Cambodia what caring and love really means," the website says.
The babies which were in the orphanage are with the charity Children In Families, while the older children have been taken to government institutions for care.
They will be reunited with their families or placed in foster care.
SISHA will try to track down the families and are also preparing to represent the children if the case goes to court.
2 comments:
And now who will take care those children? I believe that they will stay on the street for the better life soon or maybe they will sell themself for prostitute , right?
This is how c.s runing orphenage throutghout the world, they run oposite from the bible. It sarts from intermigation, physical abious if not obeying or go to Buddhist Pagoda celebration, sexual abbious some event lost of lives. Aboriginal people, the poor least fortunated are vulnarable, from north to south america and thoughout the world, likely some Khmer Buddhist monks under Yuon CPP adminitration, why because no one seem to be care of as long as goal achievement to be met.
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