Poverty of the children of the Moldovan migrants
Poverty of the children of the Moldovan migrants

Author(s): Valeriu Prohniţchi
Subject(s): Applied Sociology, Family and social welfare, Migration Studies
Published by: EXPERT-GRUP Centrul Analitic Independent
Keywords: migration; children of migrants;
Summary/Abstract: This report focuses on the impact of migration on the situation of the Moldovan children left behind by migrating parents. It finds that the total number of these children is large and the official figures underestimate the extent of this phenomenon. According to official information around 28000 children in the academic year 2004/2005 were left by both parents and more than 68000 thousand were left by one parent. These numbers do not correlate with the large annual outflows and large total stock of the Moldovan migrants. The report makes the hypothesis that remittances which alleviate poverty of most of the children are likely to generate more income inequality among the children. While there are indirect and mostly qualitative confirmations of the hypothesis, the issue deserves further research. The education and health outcomes of the children left by migrating parents are not addressed properly in existing literature. Some of the qualitative report asserts that in most of the cases educational outcomes worsen after parents leave. Also, it is not clear if these children are more likely than others to get accustomed with unhealthy patterns of live: smocking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Several reports made by school directors and tutors affirm that there is such a trend, but existing statistical data and researches do not confirm nor infirm this affirmation. Also, a report finds that children living without parents are more inclined to commit crimes, but the quality of this report is not clear.

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