Speaking at the One Young World summit in London, which is the global forum for young leaders, Rowling explained that many orphanages are not what they seem, with a large amount of children not actually without parents but rather separated from them due to poverty.

“Despite the best of intentions, the sad truth is that visiting and volunteering in orphanages drives an industry that separates children from their families and puts them at risk of neglect and abuse,” she said according to The Guardian.

“Institutionalism is one of the worst things you can do to children in the world. It has huge effects on their normal development, it renders children vulnerable to abuse and trafficking, and it massively impacts their life chances. And these dire statistics apply even to what we would see as well-run orphanages. The effect on children is universally poor.”

Rowling is founder and president of Lumos, the children’s charity which not only dedicates a large portion of its work to helping children in orphanages but is currently running a campaign called #HelpingNotHelping.

The campaign raises awareness around the issue of children being used as tourist attractions, and how in some cases, this can lead to children being trafficked and exploited. The campaign’s powerful tag line reads: “There are some places you should never be a tourist. Orphanages are one of them.”

JK Rowling warns young people against volunteer tourism at orphanages abroad