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O M N E W S R E L E A S E
GREATER EFFORTS NEEDED TO ENSURE WELL BEING OF FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND IN
MIGRATION PROCESS
GENEVA - March 8, 2008 - Increasing attention on the safe migration of
people in the globalized world and greater efforts to promote the rights of
migrant workers are not being systematically matched by interventions to ensure
the safety and well being of families left behind, the International Organization
for Migration says today as it marks International Women's Day.
"Countries of origin are increasingly dependent on the significant
remittances being provided by migrants and see their overseas workers as of
major value to their economic development. However, for spouses and children
left behind, the absence of a parent from the day-to-day running of the family
brings social and economic problems of its own. These have all too often been
overlooked in migration and development policies," says Ndioro Ndiaye, IOM
Deputy Director General.
International remittances to developing countries, amounting to an estimated
US$240 billion in 2007, are often the main income of a receiving family and are
usually used for day-to-day expenses including school fees and materials.
However, the long-term absence of a parent can undermine the very objective
that led to the migration in the first place - bettering a family's prospects.
Studies among families of low and semi-skilled migrants in source countries
show that being a single head of household usually entails a significant
increase in workload and responsibilities.
Whilst for women this situation can be empowering, a husband's return often
signals the resumption of a traditional role.
IOM research in some Asian countries has found that wives left behind suffer
from an increase in health problems due to depression, loneliness and fatigue.
Women and girls are also more vulnerable to sexual abuse by male members of an
extended household or from within the community.
In Bangladesh, where the World Bank estimates that remittances have reduced the
poverty head count by six percentage points, an IOM survey among families of
overseas workers found that mothers noticed changes in the behaviour of their
sons in particular. This was largely attributed to the lack of a male role
model in the family.
IOM research in other Asian countries supports this by highlighting a lack of
motivation at school or dropping out altogether, a search for a father/mother
figure and substance abuse as some of the problems among the children of
families left behind.
Women migrants, who represent close to 50 per cent of the nearly 200 million
international migrants in the world today, can also face issues relating to
alcoholism, marital infidelity or violence upon returning home from husbands
unable to handle the responsibilities and loneliness during the separation or
their change in status from breadwinner to primary family carer.
"Specific programmes need to be implemented for the families of migrants
in the same way that governments, civil society and international organizations
are attempting to tackle labour migration, irregular migration and human
trafficking," states Ndiaye. "Interventions need to be varied to
address a wide range of issues and must be integrated into national migration
and development policies."
These include the better protection of women migrants in destination countries
who are paid much less then men and who often work in unregulated sectors such
as domestic work and agriculture.
The non-payment of wages or major breaches of contract can have a significant
impact on the well- being of remittance-dependent families.
Also needed are more focused interventions on the schooling of children of
emigrants, the provision of institutional parenting support to lessen
children's vulnerability and the establishment of migrant workers support
groups in areas of high emigration. This would give a collective and empowering
economic and social voice to spouses left behind as well as represent a group
of people who contribute significantly to their country's economy through
remittances.
More importantly, training to improve the financial management abilities of
spouses would not only provide new skills in income generation but would also
help families be less dependent on remittance income that instead could be used
for long-term investment.
Reintegration programmes for returning migrants are also critical not just to
ensure their successful economic reinsertion in the community after many years
of absence but also their social integration.
"By ensuring returning migrants have jobs and livelihood opportunities
upon coming home and that they know of them, migration becomes a truly win-win
proposition for the family and society as a whole," adds Ndiaye.
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IOM Contact:
Jemini Pandya Tel 41 22 717 9486 - jpandya@iom.int
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