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“The absence of our mother makes me sad and lonely. But she went abroad to earn money for our own good” (16 year old boy). A recent study Left Behind, Left Out: The Impact on Children and Families of Mothers Migrating for Work Abroad, conducted by Save the Children in Sri Lanka, destroys some myths around female migration and its impact on children, yet confirms certain fears. The report reveals both positive and negative sides of female migration. It highlights the extended family support provided in the absence of the mother, and the important role that those who are not immediate family play in the upbringing of children. Children did not report high levels of abuse (which is generally perceived) due to the absence of the mother. They highly appreciated support given by caregivers, including fathers. Children indicated good levels of contact with the mother, often through telephone, even though they clearly missed the mothers and did not feel the mother could be replaced. The study highlighted the negative impact of mothers’ absence on children’s behaviour and education. Children of migrant mothers performed noticeably worse in school than children from the same socio-economic background of mothers either working or not working in Sri Lanka. The highest proportion of children obtaining lowest scores for Mathematics, First Language and English were children of migrant mothers. Caregivers also observed certain negative behaviour in children after the departure of the mother; 22.1 per cent of children under the age of five showed loss of appetite and around 20 per cent of children in all ages showed increased temper tantrums after the departure of the mother. Temper tantrums were higher in the adolescent age groups. An interesting finding of the study was the changing role of fathers in families of migrant mothers. These fathers take on more domestic roles than fathers in families with mothers in Sri Lanka. As many as 58 per cent of fathers cooked in households where mothers had migrated, as opposed to 14 per cent in households with mothers working in Sri Lanka, and 8 per cent in households with non-working mothers. These fathers also felt more comfortable performing these roles. However, fathers were primary caregivers in only 25 per cent of the households interviewed, and they showed higher levels of stress and daily and weekly alcohol intake than fathers in families where mothers were in Sri Lanka. More than two thirds of the caregivers are older females such as grandmothers who had their own social and medical needs. If children had caregivers over sixty, the study found that they were more likely to have behavioural issues and felt an inability to communicate with caregivers. These families were clearly in need of support from social services. However, 97 per cent stated that they had not received any assistance from any agency, with around 95 per cent stating they were not even aware of these services. More than 600,000 women are believed to be working abroad often to support the welfare of their children and to get out of poverty. Migrant workers both male and female in the Middle East alone bring in about 60 per cent of Sri Lanka’s total foreign remittances. The Sri Lankan State has the legal and moral obligation to ensure the welfare of children of migrants who are often “left out” of policy planning. While acknowledging women’s rights to choice of employment, and a right to migration, the impact on children left behind should be considered more seriously at a policy level. The study was conducted for Save the Children in Sri Lanka by Integrated Development Consultants (Pvt) Ltd. It had a sample of 1200 families from the Kurunegala and Colombo districts, with the highest prevalence of female migration. The study also had a control group of 200 families where the mothers were either working in Sri Lanka (100) or not working (100). A special feature of the project was the involvement of children as Further information
researchers and as a research advisory group.
pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/save_sl_left_out.pdf