Orphanage Trafficking Prevention and Protection Act

This bill targets “orphanage trafficking.” It explains that many children without parental care—living in institutions like orphanages, children’s homes, boarding schools, or group homes—are at high risk of being trafficked for labor, sex, or forced begging. Some are even recruited into residential care just to attract donations and volunteers, and many suffer abuse. It notes an estimated 5.4 million children live in institutional care globally, and many are not true orphans but were separated from family due to poverty, disability, or family breakdown.

The bill updates U.S. anti-trafficking law to treat the trafficking of orphaned, abandoned, or institutionalized children as a serious trafficking crime. This change is meant to help prosecute offenders, protect victims, and allow the U.S. to set conditions on some foreign aid tied to anti-trafficking efforts.

• Who is affected: Children in orphanages and other residential facilities, and the systems that care for them.
• What changes: Adds “orphanage trafficking” to the legal definition of trafficking crimes to strengthen accountability and protections.
• Why it matters: Addresses documented patterns where children are recruited into institutions for exploitation and profit, often linked to international travel and “volun-tourism”.