is really just a euphemistic name
for a residential care institution.
These institutions go
by other names as well,
like "shelters," "safe houses,"
"children's homes," "children's villages,"
even "boarding schools."
And this problem is not just
confined to Cambodia.
This map shows some of the countries
that have seen a dramatic increase
in the numbers of residential
care institutions
and the numbers of children
being institutionalized.
In Uganda, for example,
the number of children
living in institutions
has increased by more than
1,600 percent since 1992.
And the problems posed
by putting kids into institutions
don't just pertain to the corrupt
and abusive institutions
like the one that I rescued the kids from.
The problems are with all forms
of residential care.
Over 60 years of international
research has shown us
that children who grow up in institutions,
even the very best institutions,
are at serious risk
of developing mental illnesses,
attachment disorders,
growth and speech delays,