UNICEF

UNICEF and Migration

DushanbeMay 21-23, 2012

I. UNICEF and Migration: Main areas of UNICEF work at global, regional and country levels

II. Key results of the UNICEF study on Impact of Labour Migration on “Children Left Behind” in Tajikistan

Presentation outline

UNICEF, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, takes the position that the impact of migration on children, adolescents and women must be seen in the broader context of poverty, regional conflict, gender issues and children’s rights.

UNICEF provides leadership at the country and global levels in developing evidence-based, action oriented policy to secure the basic rights of children, adolescents and women affected by migration.

UNICEF is particularly concerned with reducing the often severe social costs of migration and remittances for children in developing countries, and engages in local capacity-building efforts and policy dialogues aimed at generating social protection measures and legislative reforms.

UNICEF and Migration

Over 214 million migrants live outside their country of birth, and women make up nearly half of all migrants around the world;

  Children are affected by migration on multiple levels: when they are left behind by one or

both migrating parents, in migrating with parents (or born abroad), or when they migrate alone; 

Migrant children, who are crossing borders in greater numbers, face serious risks at every stage of the migration process:

- children and women (especially those migrating without documentation) are vulnerable to trafficking, abuse and exploitation;

- migrants and their families (in countries of transit and destination) often find themselves victims of discrimination, debilitating poverty and social marginalization;

- the millions of undocumented migrants often have difficulty accessing educational and basic social services, and must live in fear of arrest and repatriation;

- a growing number of children (in countries of origin) are left behind by one or both parents;

- children and adolescents left behind may be at greater risk for drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, psycho-social dysfunction and criminal behaviour

Migration in context: a multidimensional perspective is crucial to securing the well-being of children and women affected by migration processes

Migration, Development and Children (achievements in 2011)

UNICEF worked to guide policymakers in the design and implementation of policies that maximize positive effects of migration and minimize negative effects on migrant families of origin and destination:

- formed partnerships with multiple stakeholders, including national governments, UN Country Teams, the Global Migration Group (GMG), and numerous other actors;

- built capacity among key institutions and providing technical support to country partners and civil society organizations;

- prioritized migrant children and youth concerns in the international agenda during its six-month chairmanship of the Global Migration Group (GMG);

UNICEF is working in approximately 63 countries on various migration-related issues, such as:

- the realization of rights for all children in the context of migration;

- the social impact of migration and remittances on children left behind;

- the nexus between migration, poverty and development;

- the role of social protection and legislative reform in supporting the realization of migrant rights;

- the relationship between migration and youth employment;

- the impacts of environmental change-induced migration on children, adolescents and youth;

- and the protection of children from abuse, violence and trafficking , especially girls and unaccompanied or separated migrant children.

Main areas of UNICEF work at global, regional and country levels

Migration and Remittances Data:

- updated the MigrantInfo database with the latest estimates of the international migrant stock by age and gender (in collaboration with UNDESA and the University of Houston);

Migration and Human Rights

- supported specific inputs for the Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW);

- produced a major report on “The Rights of Children, Youth and Women in the Context of Migration”

- published a technical note on “Human Rights Standards Relevant to Repatriation Procedures of Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant Children”

Mainstreaming Migration into National Development Strategies

- provided technical support to the “Mainstreaming Migration into National Development Strategies” pilot initiative in three countries, namely Bangladesh, Jamaica and Moldova;

- continued working with UNCTs and government partners at country level to ensure that children, youth, gender, human rights and equity are very much at the heart of the policy agenda on migration.

Main areas of UNICEF work at global, regional and country levels

Impact of Labour Migration on ‘Children Left Behind’ in Tajikistan

• Migration in Tajikistan studied extensively, but little

was known about its impact on the well-being of

children left behind

• UNICEF commissioned this research to understand

the influences of migration on wellbeing of children

left behind and raise awareness among policy

makers

• The study was carried out by UK-based Oxford

Policy Management in collaboration with the Tajik

Research Centre ‘Sharq’ between June 2010 and

March 2011

Background: UNICEF study

Conceptual framework and Methodology

Conceptual framework

• This study adopted a child-rights-centred approach, which assesses child well-being against health, education, economic

activity and psycho-social variables.

• The conceptual framework included three components:

- Outcomes of interest –health, education, economic activity and psycho-social well-being of children .

- Characteristics of individuals (age, gender, and ability), households (size and structure, education levels, labour

capacity, income, attitudes, etc.) and the broader context (livelihood options, societal values, service provision, etc.), which

influence these outcomes.

- Features of the migration experience, such as remittance level, duration and frequency of migration, and

communication, which affect outcomes for children.

Methodology (general)

• Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data from different sources

• Three types of households:- Migrant households- Abandoned households (not in contact with the labour migrant and not receiving remittances in the last year; self-

assessed as abandoned)- Non-migrant households

• Four districts:

1) Gafurov in Sughd Oblast;

2) Kulyob in Khatlon Oblast;

3) Shugnon in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province; and

4) Vahdat in the District under Republican Subordination.

Perceptions on overall impacts of migration

• A significant number of households perceive

migration as ‘negative’ or ‘very negative’

- Almost 80% of abandoned households

view migration as ‘negative’ or ‘very

negative’

• The most positive perceived effect of migration

is the additional income to pay for health and

education

• The most negative perceived effect of

migration is increased depressiveness among

children, as well as lack of parental guidance

Impact on Health

Access to Healthcare

• Evidence from the study shows direct link between access to healthcare and household income

- Majority of migrant households find it much easier to provide for their children’s healthcare

since family member has migrated, due to additional income from remittances

• Conversely, majority of abandoned households found it more difficult to access healthcare, as the

household had less money available

- Another reason why it is more difficult to provide for children’s health in abandoned families is that

children are more depressed and more prone to illness

Nutrition and Food Diversity

• Increased income from remittances have a positive impact on households’ nutritional status

- Migrant households fared better than non-migrant households in terms of food availability and the

food types they consume, especially when it comes to more expensive and more nutritious food- Almost 60 per cent of abandoned households did not always have enough food for the household

in the last year

• Migrant households’ proportion of expenditure spent on food alone was comparable to non-

migrant households, indicating that remittances help shift expenditures to less ‘basic’ needs

Impact on Education

Enrolment

• Migration status does not affect enrolment up to age of

16, as enrolment is mandatory, enforced, and free;

• Drop-out rates and years of schooling differ due to

economic circumstances and attitudes to education;

• Migrant households find it easier to provide for education

since family member has migrated (due to increased

income), while abandoned households find it harder;

• Girls, particularly in abandoned households, drop out of

school first;

• Abandoned families spend less on education than other

types of families.

Attendance and achievements

• School attendance in Tajikistan up to the age of 16 is high

- Female attendance declines after the age of 11

- Attendance rates decline dramatically after 16

• Abandoned children are more likely to miss school for work outside the home, particularly boys

• Achievement similar across groups, but children in migrant households lack intellectual support from parents,

which may harm their performance

• Mother’s education is an important determinant of both attendance and achievement

Impact on Economic Activities

Working outside the household

• Children of all types undertake work outside the

household- Children from poorer households are likely to

work more;

- Abandoned households are usually poorer, and

children from such families work more;

- Non-abandoned children work as well

• Working outside the household is influenced by

poverty level, as well as by the attitudes of parents

towards work

• Time use analysis did not point out to significant differences between the time use of migrant,

abandoned, and non-migrant children

- Girls spent slightly higher proportion of time on helping at home and a lower proportion on leisure

Household work

• Children of all types work at home

- Men replace absent male labour and women replace absent female labour

• Working at home is considered to be a normal part of growing up, and could be combined with schooling

Impact on Psycho-social well-being

• One of the most important impacts of parents’ migration on children left behind is psychological

• Social costs of migration particularly high in the case of abandoned households

• Mothers’ psychological health is likely to have a serious impact on children

• Children left behind have the tendency to become withdrawn, sad, and depressed

- Depression particularly pronounced for children in abandoned households

- Effects more pronounced for girls than for boys

Behavioural Problems

• Aggression and rebelliousness as a consequence of migration quite common among migrant and

abandoned households

- Boys especially lack respect for the authority of their mothers;

- More pronounced in early adolescence (11-14 years of age);

• The relationship of the wife left behind with the parents-in-law, particularly with the mother-in-law plays

an important role in her perceived authority with the children

• In the community, children left behind are not stigmatised, due to the high rate of migration in Tajikistan

Bullying and Stigma

• Children are more exposed to bullying and teasing, due to the absence of a protective fatherly figure;

- Instances of abandoned children being teased because their father had married another woman

and ‘forgotten’ about them;

• Children left behind can become bullies themselves, as they become more aggressive;

- Data suggests that migrant and abandoned children tend to ‘do or say bad and unpleasant things’

proportionally more than non-migrant children

Impact on Psycho-social well-being

Policy Implications

Ideas on Migration Management

• Continue bilateral negotiations with the Russian Federation on the regularisation of Tajik

migrants

• Effectively implement the Strategy for Labour Migration

• Implement special programmes designed to support not just the migrant, but migrant families

as well:

• Matching grant programmes for using remittances to start a new business, available to

migrant and migrant’s family;

• Savings programmes, such as cost-free savings accounts to finance children’s future

education;

• Insurance programmes, such as a Social Fund, to insure the migrant’s family from

migration-related risks

Ideas on Social Protection

Cash support

• Develop an effective system of targeted, needs-based social assistance;

• Consider more intensive financial support for abandoned families/children cared for by single

parents;

• Reduce documentation costs for civil registration documents and social assistance payments;

Non-cash support

• Develop an organised system of social services, led by the MLSPP, but able to transcend

institutional/sectoral boundaries;

• Develop a clear system of identification, assessment, referral, and review for children at risk;

• Develop community-based social services;

• Develop school-based interventions for psycho-social support

• Challenge prejudice and the stigma associated with migration as a matter of policy

Policy Implications

Policy Implications

Preventing and reducing abandonment

Specific measures to minimize the effect on families in the case of abandonment should be considered and advocated for.

Examples of such measures include:

• Requiring civil registration of all marriages, rather than Nikoh only

• Introducing changes to the family legislation, prescribing the rights of the wife in

relation to in-laws

• Promoting joint titling of property

• Promoting transfer of property into the name of the woman.