When 'Protecting Children' is Code for Exporting Problems
FIRST INSTANCE: The 'Child Savers' and the Empire's Orphans The practice of child migration — sending impoverished or orphaned British children to Commonwealth countries like Australia, Canada, and Rhodesia — isn't a post-WWII aberration. Its roots stretch back to the mid-19th century. One of the earliest formalized schemes was Dr. Thomas Barnardo's 'Barnardo's Homes,' which began sending children
abroad as early as 1869. The stated goal was to give these children a 'fresh start' and alleviate the burden on the British welfare system (Barnardo, 1888). These children were explicitly meant to populate the 'Dominions' with 'good British stock,' often destined for indentured labor on farms, not idyllic new lives. REPETITIONS: A Persistent Policy, Different Pretexts The program saw significant
peaks. Post-World War I, it was rebranded as a way to expand the Empire and provide opportunities for children from overcrowded industrial cities. After World War II, the narrative shifted slightly, emphasizing a 'better life' away from war-torn Britain. The practice continued robustly from the 1940s into the late 1960s, with some cases reported as late as 1970 (Commonwealth Government inquiry,
1998). Children as young as five were deceived into believing they were true orphans, or that their parents were dead, only to find themselves effectively enslaved and often subjected to abuse in institutions or on farms. This wasn't a secret operation; it was actively supported by various British governments and charitable organizations. OUTCOMES: Devastation and Delayed Reckoning The promised