Why we need to end the era of orphanages | Tara Winkler

翻译人员: Liyu Liu 校对人员: Kelly Wei

These are some photos of me volunteering in a Cambodian orphanage

这些是我 2006 年 在柬埔寨做志愿者时

in 2006.

的照片。

When these photos were taken,

在拍下这些照片的时候，

I thought I was doing a really good thing

我以为我是在做真正的善事，

and that I was really helping those kids.

我真的在帮助那些孩子。

I had a lot to learn.

我有很多要学的东西。

It all started for me when I was 19 years old

这一切都源于我 19 岁的时候

and went backpacking through Southeast Asia.

在东南亚背包旅游的经历。

When I reached Cambodia,

当我抵达柬埔寨的时候，

I felt uncomfortable being on holiday surrounded by so much poverty

我的假期却被目之所及的贫困 所包围，这让我感到很难受，

and wanted to do something to give back.

我希望能够做些什么来回馈。

So I visited some orphanages and donated some clothes and books

因此我访问了一些孤儿院，

捐了一些衣物、书籍和钱

and some money

to help the kids that I met.

给我见到的那些孩子们。

But one of the orphanages I visited was desperately poor.

但是其中一家我访问的孤儿院 非常的贫困。

I had never encountered poverty like that before in my life.

我在一生中从未遇见过那样的贫困。

They didn't have funds for enough food,

他们没有足够的资金来买食物、

clean water

干净的水

or medical treatment,

或者医疗资源。

and the sad little faces on those kids

孩子们脸上失望的表情

were heartbreaking.

是如此令人心碎。

So I was compelled to do something more to help.

因此我不得不做更多的事情 来帮助这些孩子。

I fund-raised in Australia and returned to Cambodia the following year

我在澳大利亚筹集善款， 并在第二年回到柬埔寨，

to volunteer at the orphanage for a few months.

在那里的孤儿院 做了几个月的志愿者。

I taught English and bought water filters and food

我在那里教孩子们英语， 为他们购置净水设备和食物，

and took all of the kids to the dentist for the first time in their lives.

并且带这些孩子去看 他们人生中第一次牙医。

But over the course of the next year,

但是在接下来的一年中，

我发现我一直在支援的这所孤儿院

I came to discover that this orphanage that I had been supporting

was terribly corrupt.

是非常腐败的。

The director had been embezzling every cent donated to the orphanage,

主任一直在贪污 捐给孤儿院的每一分钱，

and in my absence, the children were suffering such gross neglect

并且在我不在的时候， 孩子们一直被严重忽视，

that they were forced to catch mice to feed themselves.

以至于他们不得不 自己去抓老鼠来吃。

I also found out later

不久后，我还发现

that the director had been physically and sexually abusing the kids.

主任一直在对这些孩子们 实施身体虐待和性虐待。

I couldn't bring myself to turn my back on children

我不忍心抛弃这些我已经认识

who I had come to know and care about

并一直牵挂的孩子们，

and return to my life in Australia.

回归原来在澳大利亚的生活。

So I worked with a local team and the local authorities

因此我和一个当地的团队， 以及当地政府合作，

to set up a new orphanage and rescue the kids

建立了一个新的孤儿院， 试图解救这些孩子们，

to give them a safe new home.

给他们一个安全的新家。

But this is where my story takes another unexpected turn.

但是，这时我的故事 发生了另一个意想不到的转折。

As I adjusted to my new life running an orphanage in Cambodia,

当我适应了在柬埔寨运营孤儿院 的新生活的时候，

(Khmer) I learned to speak Khmer fluently,

（高棉语） 我学习会了流利的高棉语。

which means that I learned to speak the Khmer language fluently.

意思是我学会了流利地讲高棉语言。

And when I could communicate properly with the kids,

当我可以正常地 和这些孩子们交流的时候，

I began to uncover some strange things.

我开始发现一些奇怪的细节。

Most of the children we had removed from the orphanage

我们所迁移到新孤儿院 的大多数孩子

were not, in fact, orphans at all.

并不是真正的孤儿。

They had parents,

他们有父母，

and the few that were orphaned had other living relatives,

并且少数的孤儿也有其他的亲戚，

like grandparents and aunties and uncles

比方说祖父母、叔叔阿姨

and other siblings.

和其他兄弟姐妹。

So why were these children living in an orphanage

为什么这些不是孤儿的孩子们

when they weren't orphans?

要住在孤儿院里呢？

Since 2005, the number of orphanages in Cambodia

自 2005 年以来， 柬埔寨的孤儿院数量

has risen by 75 percent,

上升了 75%，

and the number of children living in Cambodian orphanages

住进柬埔寨孤儿院的儿童

has nearly doubled,

几乎翻了一倍。

despite the fact

尽管事实上，

that the vast majority of children living in these orphanages

大多数住在孤儿院的孩子们

are not orphans in the traditional sense.

并不是传统意义上的孤儿。

They're children from poor families.

他们都来自贫穷家庭。

So if the vast majority of children living in orphanages

因此，若是大多数 住在孤儿院的孩子们

are not orphans,

并不是孤儿，

then the term "orphanage"

那么“孤儿院”这一词语

is really just a euphemistic name for a residential care institution.

就真的只是一个 住宿护理机构的委婉称呼。

These institutions go by other names as well,

这些机构也以其他的名字命名，

like "shelters," "safe houses," "children's homes," "children's villages,"

比如“庇护所”、“安全之家”、 “儿童之家”、“儿童村”，

even "boarding schools."

甚至“寄宿学校”。

And this problem is not just confined to Cambodia.

而这一问题不只限于柬埔寨。

This map shows some of the countries that have seen a dramatic increase

这一地图展示了住宿护理机构

in the numbers of residential care institutions

数量大量上升的国家，

and the numbers of children being institutionalized.

生活在这些机构中 的儿童数量也大幅增加。

In Uganda, for example,

以乌干达为例，

the number of children living in institutions

住在机构里的儿童的数量

has increased by more than 1,600 percent since 1992.

自 1992 年起增加了 1600%。

And the problems posed by putting kids into institutions

而把孩子放在机构中产生的问题

don't just pertain to the corrupt and abusive institutions

不仅限于腐败和虐待儿童的机构，

like the one that I rescued the kids from.

就像我救出孩子们的那种孤儿院。

The problems are with all forms of residential care.

问题在于住宿护理。

Over 60 years of international research has shown us

超过 60 多年的国际研究向我们展示了

that children who grow up in institutions,

那些在机构中长大的孩子，

even the very best institutions,

甚至是在最好的机构中长大的孩子，

are at serious risk of developing mental illnesses,

罹患精神病、

attachment disorders,

情感障碍、

growth and speech delays,

生长和语言发育迟缓 的风险都要更大，

and many will struggle with an inability to reintegrate

许多人长大后很难

back into society later in life

重新融入社会，

and form healthy relationships as adults.

进而无法建立健康的成年人际关系。

These kids grow up without any model of family

这些孩子们在成长的时候 没有经历过任何家庭生活，

or of what good parenting looks like,

也不知道什么是好的父母，

so they then can struggle to parent their own children.

因此他们自己在 养育孩子一事上会面临困难。

So if you institutionalize large numbers of children,

如果你将大量的儿童送入机构，

it will affect not only this generation,

这不止会影响这一代人，

but also the generations to come.

也会影响他们的后代。

We've learned these lessons before in Australia.

我们之前在澳大利亚 已经有过类似的教训。

It's what happened to our "Stolen Generations,"

这样的事发生在我们”失窃的一代“。 （注：澳大利亚政府曾“白化”原居民）

the indigenous children who were removed from their families

我们把原住民的孩子和父母分开，

with the belief that we could do a better job

因为当时我们相信我们可以

of raising their children.

比原生父母做得更好。

Just imagine for a moment

想象一下，

what residential care would be like for a child.

在孩子眼里， 住宿照顾机构是什么样子。

Firstly, you have a constant rotation of caregivers,

首先，有人来轮流照顾，

with somebody new coming on to the shift every eight hours.

每八小时会有新的人来轮班。

And then on top of that you have a steady stream of visitors

在这样的基础上，

你会有源源不断的访客 以及志愿者到来，

and volunteers coming in,

showering you in the love and affection you're craving

让你沐浴在你所渴望的关爱中，

and then leaving again,

然后再一次离开，

evoking all of those feelings of abandonment,

唤起所有的被人抛弃的感觉，

and proving again and again

并一次又一次地证明，

that you are not worthy of being loved.

你不值得被爱。

We don't have orphanages in Australia, the USA, the UK anymore,

在澳大利亚、美国和英国， 我们不再有孤儿院，

and for a very good reason:

出于一个非常好的理由：

one study has shown that young adults raised in institutions

一份研究证明， 在机构中长大的年轻人

are 10 times more likely to fall into sex work than their peers,

比同龄人陷入 性工作的可能性高 10 倍，

40 times more likely to have a criminal record,

有犯罪记录的可能性多出 40 倍，

and 500 times more likely

结束自己的生命的可能性

to take their own lives.

更是多出 500 倍。

There are an estimated eight million children around the world

世界范围内约有 800 万儿童

living in institutions like orphanages,

生活在诸如孤儿院这样的机构中，

despite the fact that around 80 percent of them are not orphans.

尽管事实上， 大约 80% 的儿童并不是孤儿。

Most have families who could be caring for them

大多数儿童都拥有家庭， 如果能得到正确的支持，

if they had the right support.

这些家庭可以正常照顾 自己的孩子。

But for me,

但于我而言，

the most shocking thing of all to realize

我最诧异的事情在于，

is what's contributing to this boom

是什么让我们制造了繁荣的假象，

in the unnecessary institutionalization of so many children:

把这么多孩子送去 没有必要的救助机构？

it's us --

是我们。

the tourists, the volunteers

是游客、志愿者们、

and the donors.

以及捐助者。

It's the well-meaning support from people like me back in 2006,

是人们的善意支持， 就像我在 2006 年做的那样，

who visit these children and volunteer and donate,

慰问这些孩子， 做志愿活动并捐赠，

who are unwittingly fueling an industry that exploits children

在无意之中推动了 这样一个剥削儿童

and tears families apart.

和分裂他们家庭的产业。

It's really no coincidence that these institutions are largely set up

这些机构大部分设立在

in areas where tourists can most easily be lured in

游客最愿意去观光的地区， 并通过志愿者活动

to visit and volunteer in exchange for donations.

来换取捐款，这一切并非巧合。

Of the 600 so-called orphanages in Nepal,

在尼泊尔 600 座所谓的孤儿院中，

over 90 percent of them are located in the most popular tourist hotspots.

有超过 90% 的孤儿院位于 最受游客欢迎的旅游热点。

The cold, hard truth is,

然而一个冷酷的事实是，

the more money that floods in in support of these institutions,

支持这些机构的钱越多，

the more institutions open

就有越多的机构开放，

and the more children are removed from their families

并有更多的儿童离开他们的家庭，

to fill their beds.

来填补机构里的床位。

It's just the laws of supply and demand.

这是供求法则。

I had to learn all of these lessons the hard way,

我在柬埔寨建起孤儿院之后，

after I had already set up an orphanage in Cambodia.

我就立刻得到了深刻的教训。

I had to eat a big piece of humble pie to admit

我不得不承认

that I had made a mistake

我犯了一个错误，

and inadvertently become a part of the problem.

并不可避免的成为了 这个问题的一部分。

I had been an orphanage tourist,

在我了解到这些事实之前， 我曾是孤儿院游客，

a voluntourist.

一个旅游志愿者。

I then set up my own orphanage and facilitated orphanage tourism

然后我建立了我自己的孤儿院，

促进了孤儿院旅游产业，

in order to generate funds for my orphanage,

还为我自己的孤儿院筹集资金，

before I knew better.

What I came to learn

现在我明白了，

is that no matter how good my orphanage was,

无论我的孤儿院有多么好，

it was never going to give those kids what they really needed:

它并不会带给孩子们 真正需要的东西：

their families.

他们的家庭。

I know that it can feel incredibly depressing

我知道，当了解到帮助 弱势儿童和克服困难

to learn that helping vulnerable children and overcoming poverty

并不像我们所有人认为的那样简单，

is not as simple as we've all been led to believe it should be.

会让人感到非常沮丧。

But thankfully, there is a solution.

但幸运的是，这些问题有解决方案。

These problems are reversible and preventable,

这些问题是可逆转的、可预防的，

and when we know better,

并且当我们知道如何改善的时候，

we can do better.

我们也可以做得更好。

The organization that I run today,

我现在运营的组织

the Cambodian Children's Trust,

Cambodian Children's Trust

is no longer an orphanage.

已经不再是一个孤儿院。

In 2012, we changed the model in favor of family-based care.

2012 年，我们改变了 运营模式，支持家庭照顾。

I now lead an amazing team of Cambodian social workers,

我现在带领着一支非常了不起 的柬埔寨社会工作者、

nurses and teachers.

护士和教师团队。

Together, we work within communities

我们一起在社区工作，

to untangle a complex web of social issues

解决一系列复杂的社会问题，

and help Cambodian families escape poverty.

帮助柬埔寨家庭脱离贫困。

Our primary focus is on preventing some of the most vulnerable families

我们的首要重点是

防止我们社区内一些最脆弱的家庭

in our community

from being separated in the first place.

被迫分离。

But in cases where it's not possible

但是，若儿童不能

for a child to live with its biological family,

和他们血缘上的家庭生活在一起，

we support them in foster care.

我们支持他们被领养。

Family-based care is always better

家庭照顾总是好过

than placing a child in an institution.

把孩子们送进机构中。

Do you remember that first photo that I showed you before?

你们还记得我之前 展示的第一张照片吗？

See that girl who is just about to catch the ball?

看到那个马上要 接住球的女孩了吗？

Her name is Torn

她的名字叫 Torn。

She's a strong, brave and fiercely intelligent girl.

她是个坚强、勇敢、非常聪明的女孩儿。

But in 2006, when I first met her

但是当我在 2006 年 第一次见到她的时候，

living in that corrupt and abusive orphanage,

她就住在那个充斥腐败 和虐待的孤儿院里，

she had never been to school.

她从来没有上过学，

She was suffering terrible neglect,

被严重疏于照顾。

and she yearned desperately

她非常渴望

for the warmth and love of her mother.

母亲的温暖和爱。

But this is a photo of Torn today with her family.

这张照片是现在的 Torn 和她的家人。

Her mother now has a secure job,

她的母亲现在有一份稳定的工作，

her siblings are doing well in high school

她的兄弟姐妹在高中表现很好，

and she is just about to finish her nursing degree at university.

而她自己也即将完成 大学的护理学位。

For Torn's family --

对于 Torn 的家庭来说…

(Applause)

（掌声）

for Torn's family,

对 Torn 的家庭而言，

the cycle of poverty has been broken.

贫穷的循环已经被打破。

The family-based care model that we have developed at CCT

我们在 Cambodian Children's Trust 发展的家庭照顾模式

has been so successful,

是如此成功，

that it's now being put forward by UNICEF Cambodia

现在联合国儿童基金会 柬埔寨分会和柬埔寨政府

and the Cambodian government

正推进这一模式，

as a national solution to keep children in families.

将其作为国家解决方案， 以帮助儿童在家庭里成长。

And one of the best --

其中最好的一个…

(Applause)

（掌声）

And one of the best ways that you can help to solve this problem

你可以帮助解决这一问题的 一个最佳方式是

is by giving these eight million children a voice

为这 800 万的儿童发声，

and become an advocate for family-based care.

成为家庭照顾模式的倡导者。

If we work together to raise awareness,

如果我们共同努力， 提高人们的认识，

we can make sure the world knows

就可以确保这个世界了解到，

that we need to put an end to the unnecessary institutionalization

我们需要终结 把弱势的儿童送入机构

of vulnerable children.

这一不必要的行为。

How do we achieve that?

需要怎么做呢？

By redirecting our support and our donations

我们可以把支持和捐款

away from orphanages and residential care institutions

从孤儿院和住宿照顾机构中转向

towards organizations that are committed to keeping children in families.

旨在帮助儿童 留在家庭里的这些组织。

I believe we can make this happen in our lifetime,

我相信我们可以做到，

and as a result, we will see developing communities thrive

我们将看到这些发展中 的社区蓬勃发展，

and ensure that vulnerable children everywhere

确保所有的弱势儿童

have what all children need and deserve:

拥有其他儿童 所需要和渴望的东西：

a family.

家庭。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

(掌声)