This article from the Migration Policy Institute examines the impact of labor migration on children who are left behind, from an economic and social lens, and with particular attention to gendered implications. The article presents research on this topic and focuses on findings from Moldova and Ukraine, which are experiencing similar migration trends and policies. According to the article, research indicates that children who are left behind by labor migration typically experience adverse effects, such as: poor academic performance, decreased school attendance, deteriorating health, psycho-emotional problems, and vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation.
The article highlights what the author refers to as a “care deficit” and a “care gap” experienced by children who are separated from their parents by labor migration. The “care deficit” identified in Moldova refers to the effects parental migration has on the development of nurturing relationships between children and their parents/caregivers. The “care gap” in Ukraine refers to the problems that emerge when parental migration leaves not only children without adequate care but also the elderly, who would formerly have been cared for by their adult children
The article includes specific data on children and parental migration relevant to Ukraine and Moldova, including the number of children impacted and recent policy changes. According to the article, in Moldova, the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection, and Family (MLSPF), Czech Development Agency, IOM, UN Fund for Population, and the State University of Moldova have partnered to develop a “comprehensive body of research to help create meaningful policies addressing the issues of left-behind children, families, and the elderly.” In Ukraine, recent projects have been developed to address the impact of labor migration on children and families, including “transnational welfare initiatives to support left-behind children and migrant parents, and to provide training for psychologists, caregivers, parents, and school teachers to better address the needs of the left-behind and migrants themselves” as well as a joint ordinance from the Ministries of Education, Public Health, Family and Youth, Labour, and the Interior to enhance service provision to families separated by migration.